Family Ties
by christibabe
Summary: Someone is after Stephanie once again. Could it be someone from her past, or is it someone from Ranger's past. The two have moved forward and are now a couple. Is Ranger's greatest fear coming back to haunt them? Or is the danger following Stephanie from another source altogether? This is a Babe story. Joe is present but not made into a bad guy. Others may surprise you too.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 1: An Explosive Start

Stephanie's POV:

I picked up my mail and headed upstairs to my apartment. I had no idea why my spidey sense was practically screaming at me to drop the mail and get out. I looked through the envelopes until I came to the last one. It was addressed to the daughter of Col. F. Plum. Why would I be getting something from one of my dad's friends? I made my way towards my apartment, but suddenly it was as if I couldn't move. My brain was screaming at me even louder to drop the mail and run. Now, I've questioned my instincts on a number of occasions, and each time, by the time I finally listened I barely made it out of the situation in one piece. I no longer cared _why_ I was getting this message; the only important thing was I was getting it. Me being me, I dropped the mail and made a beeline for the stairwell door and flew down the stairs and outside into the parking lot. I made it to the back of the lot and turned around to see if anyone was looking to see what I was doing. Yep. Sure enough, there were several people from my apartment building looking at me like I was crazy. However, the others were hustling to make it over to where I was standing. By now my face was beet red and I was getting ready to apologize for causing a scene when there was an explosion.

I ducked behind big blue and dug through my purse for my phone. I had no doubt that inside of 5 minutes I would be bombarded with phone calls asking what was going on. Before they did that, there was one call I suddenly had to make. I put in the number and was anxiously waiting for it to be picked up on the other end when I saw Joe Morelli pull into the parking lot right behind the first of the fire trucks. A couple seconds later 3 black SUV's pulled in. I watched as Joe got out of his car and stood there with his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face. He had no more than taken up his position when the SUV's emptied and Tank, Cal, Lester, Bobby, Ram, and Ranger were fanning out and searching for me. The phone was still ringing and suddenly I had another screaming thought to run. I looked around and saw all the seniors had made their way over towards the fire trucks and ambulances. I was the only one still by big blue. I saw Ranger start over to my position and suddenly found myself running in his direction as fast as I could. The rest of the guys drew their weapons and started looking around for possible threats.

I launched myself into Ranger's arms and he'd no more than wrapped his arms around me when there was a giant KABOOM coming from under big blue. The force was enough to knock us to the ground. Ranger took the brunt of the fall but quickly had me under him and totally covered. One of the hose groups of firefighters turned their hose on us cooling down any potential shrapnel. Tank came over and took hold of me under the arms and as soon as Ranger rolled to the side to stand, Tank lifted me to a standing position. Just then Joe came over and shook his head in disgust. "What the fuck did you get messed up in this time Cupcake?"

I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Here we go again. This was the story of my life. My name is Stephanie Plum, Aka Cupcake, Aka Babe. It was a normal occurrence for my apartment and my car to get blown up, usually not on the same day within minutes of each other though. Ricardo Carlos Manoso, Aka Ranger, Aka Batman; was a bad ass Bounty Hunter and owner and CEO of Rangeman Security, and the man I'd launched myself at. The man standing with his hands clenched into fists resting on his hips, looking at me with disgust was my on-again, off-again boyfriend Joe Morelli, a Trenton cop. We were currently in the permanently off phase, even if Joe refused to accept that memo.

"Answer me Steph. What has Manoso gotten you drawn into this time?"

"Ranger hasn't gotten me mixed up with anything. I don't know who targeted my apartment and car. I don't have any skips right now."

Joe stepped forward and reached out a hand. His look softened and I could see the pain in his eyes. "Please give this up Cupcake."

I turned to Ranger. I didn't know what else to do to make it clear to Joe that he and I were over. It hurt to see him clinging to this warped view of us he had. Ranger lifted an eyebrow as if asking for permission and I nodded. Ranger cupped my cheek in his hand before turning to Morelli and narrowing his eyes, "Steph has tried doing this nice to spare your feelings, but you're not getting the message. It's over Morelli. Move on."

Joe's cheeks got red and he darted a look around to make sure no one had overheard. He turned and glared at Ranger, "Stay out of this Manoso. It doesn't concern you."

Ranger reached out and I put my hand in his. He flicked a gaze my way, his eyes softening with love before turning back to Joe. "Anything that involves Stephanie has an impact on me."

Joe looked to our joined hands and frowned, "You aren't serious? What about all that not wanting to expose Steph to all those crazies who have a beef with you?"

Ranger chuckled, "Let's just say after Scrog, I came to my senses and admitted whether I wanted to believe it or not, the world already considered us a couple and the only one I was deluding was myself by not admitting it. Steph handled Scrog just like she's handled all the crazies who've been after her all these years."

Joe scowled, "You two are a couple now?"

I smiled softly at Ranger before I turned to Joe and said, "Yes."

He looked at me with pain-filled eyes. I sighed and spoke softly, "Go home Joe…or back to work, or to wherever you were headed before you came here. Let someone else deal with this. I don't want to hurt you or cause you discomfort in front of you friends. But it's over between us. I've moved on with Ranger and I need you to move on too."

Joe's eyes met mine for several seconds before he nodded. "Alright Cupcake. I'll leave you and Manoso to get on with your lives." He turned his gaze to Ranger, "I won't poach like some people."

Ranger lifted an eyebrow but remained silent. I squeezed Ranger's hand to thank him for not commenting on that. I sighed, "Ranger's not to blame for the poaching Joe. I am. I'm the one who allowed it. I never told him that I was yours or to stop. He was just reacting to the mixed signals I was giving him."

Tank stepped up to comment, "We need to move this conversation to someplace safer."

Joe shook his head, "We're done. Take care of her Manoso." He turned to look Ranger in the eyes and said, "If you hurt her I'll kick your ass."

Ranger gave a miniscule nod, "You won't have to. My men would be more than happy to kick my ass if I hurt Babe."

Joe smiled for the first time, "I'd give real money to see that." He turned, got in his car and drove away.

Ranger wrapped his arm around me and we made our way over to the SUV he and Tank were using. He helped me into the back and slid into the driver's seat. Tank went around and got in the passenger seat. Ram and Cal pulled out ahead of us and then Ranger pulled out and Bobbie and Lester brought up the rear. On our way back to Haywood, I told Ranger about what had happened. When I'd finished my explanation, Ranger and Tank exchanged a look before Ranger pulled out his cell phone and pressed a number on his phone. He pressed a button and suddenly I heard the phone ringing. We were just pulling into the garage when a voice I recognized asked, "Who the hell is calling me on this line?"


	2. Clues

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 2: Clues

Stephanie's POV:

I couldn't believe I was hearing right. The voice on the phone, it couldn't be…could it? Before I could say a word, Ranger smiled and said, "We have a situation sir."

"What kind of situation and who is this?"

I couldn't stay quiet any longer. "Daddy?"

"Pumpkin? What the Sam Hell is going on?"

Ranger was smiling his full 2000 Watt smile, "As I said sir. We have a situation. I'd like to call a meeting to discuss things."

"Fine, fine. Where?"

"Well sir, I was thinking about one of the conference rooms at Rangeman. It's the only place that's secure enough. After what happened this afternoon, I think it would be the safest option for Stephanie."

There was a growl, "I'll be there in 10."

Ranger parked the SUV and climbed out before opening my door and helping me out. We rode the elevator up to 5 as Tank, Cal, Bobby, Lester and Ram took the stairs. They were already in the conference room when Ranger and I walked in. Ranger helped me into the seat next to his and turned to Lester. "Steph's dad will be joining us shortly. Go down and meet him in the lobby."

Ten minutes later Lester rejoined us with my father beside him. His eyes met mine when he walked in and I smiled and gave him a finger wave. His eyes softened and he smiled, "Are you okay Pumpkin?"

"Yeah." I shrugged, "I'm kinda used to it by now. It just doesn't usually happen to both my apartment and car in one day though."

He nodded. His gaze went to the guys and he demanded, "I'd like to know how the hell you got hold of a classified number."

Ranger motioned for my dad to have a seat. Once he sat down Ranger replied, "When I decided to make Trenton my base of operation, General Winslow gave me that number and said if there was ever a time I needed to contact one of the good guys, to plug that number in."

Daddy's eyes narrowed, "What do you need my help with?"

Ranger narrowed his eyes and stared at my dad for several seconds before replying, "Stephanie received a letter addressed to the daughter of Col. F. Plum. Both her apartment and the car she's been driving were blown up within minutes of each other. I think that's too many variables to think they don't have any connection."

Daddy's face paled slightly but he kept his face blank. Great! Now I get to add one more person who shuts down so I can't get a clue from their face. Suddenly all the guys were looking at me and my dad was chuckling. Ranger gave me a barely there smile and said, "Babe."

I rolled my eyes and gave them all a glare. My dad shook his head and chuckled. "Technically you shouldn't even be here Pumpkin."

"I think I have every right to be here after all I've been through."

My dad reached out and took hold of my hand. "I'm glad you didn't get hurt. Tell me about this letter."

"Not much to tell. I picked up my mail and I got this overwhelming feeling I needed to drop the mail and run. I tried to ignore it but the closer I got to my apartment the worse the feeling got. Finally, I decided I just needed to listen to the voice because it's always gotten me out in the nick of time. I was in the parking lot by big blue and I tried to call you because I wanted to tell you about the letter, but there wasn't an answer and the call wasn't going to voicemail. I had another feeling and headed towards Ranger when big blue blew."

My dad nodded, "I drove by there on my way here. That is some car."

I froze for a second before my eyes opened wide and I asked, "What do you mean by it_ is_ some car?"

My dad smiled, "I've always told you if you want a good car you need to get a Buick. Apparently after the firemen got the fire out, they checked big blue out and the car is virtually untouched. There is no sign it was anywhere near an explosion. Just out of curiosity, I handed the fire chief the keys and the car turned right over."

I groaned as the guys all smiled. Ranger lifted my hand in his and asked, "I need to ask if you've had any other problems lately sir?"

My dad hesitated and then he looked at me. Our eyes locked for several minutes before he said, "What I'm going to tell you can't leave this room. Too many lives depend on it."

I nodded, "I won't tell anyone."

"The reason you couldn't get me on my phone is because my phone was stolen. I was getting ready to call you when I got a call on my secured line."

I was getting a bad feeling. "What's going on daddy?"

"Three of my old buddies have gone MIA within the last three weeks. Each of them called me and told me they felt like someone was targeting their family. There was no proof, but a lot of little things were suddenly happening. Tires being shot out, fires from gas leaks, muggings, normal everyday occurrences in the cities where these guys are living, but for them all to be happening to one family are more than coincidence."

My eyes narrowed. I had an idea. I turned to Ranger, "Can you get me the public records of all the incidents?"

Ranger nodded, "What are you thinking Babe?"

"I thought I'd do what I do best and look for a common thread."

I turned back to my dad, "You think whatever happened to your friends is now happening to you?"

My dad nodded. "I do. The incidents happening to their families suddenly stopped happening when each of the guys went missing. None of them said anything about a family member getting a letter addressed to them in the way you did though. I wish we had the letter."

Ranger's phone rang. He pulled it out and answered, "Yo."

I could tell whatever he was hearing wasn't going over well. When he finally ended the call, Ranger turned to us and his tone was deadly soft, "The letter addressed to Steph as the daughter of Col. F. Plum was the trigger for the bomb in the apartment. When she called your phone that was the trigger for big blue. It was strapped to the bomb under the car."

I turned to Ranger with a worried look, "What about the rest of the family? They could be in danger as well."

I heard daddy growl and turned to him with a shocked look. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and hit speed dial. I heard mom's voice coming from the phone and daddy said, "Helen."

"Frank? What's wrong? Have you seen Stephanie? Is she okay?"

"Let's go to Paris."

There was a dial tone and daddy nodded. There was a slight smile on his face and he turned to Ranger, "Can you have your men pick up my daughter and her family."

"What about mom and grandma?"

My dad turned to me and smiled, "Unless I miss my guess, she's already on her way here." He grimaced, "and she'll have your grandmother with her."

"But if there's someone out there…"

"It's okay Pumpkin. I doubt they'll be striking again so soon. They did the two in a row hoping to make us careless in our actions because we'll be hurrying. We'll just slow down and make sure we don't make a mistake."

Ranger stood and went out to the control room. He came back a few minutes later and said, "I've arranged for Valerie and her family to be taken to a safe house. They will be safe there. Stephanie will remain here. Now we just need to get you and your wife to a safe location."

At that moment Ranger got a call. "Yo."

"Binkie here. Mrs. Plum and Mrs. Mazur just pulled up."

"Cover them. Bring them up here."


	3. Like Mother Like Daughter

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 3: Like Mother Like Daughter

Binkie's POV:

Shit! Steph's grandma Mazur was parked in front of the Rangeman building and the boss wanted me to cover them and take them up to 5. What the hell did I do to deserve this? I moved quickly to the front door and searched the surrounding area for possible danger. I was at the car in no time and knocked on the window. It was rolled down and I said, "Ranger wants me to get you ladies inside."

The window went back up and Steph's grandma opened her door at the same time as Mrs. Plum and both women stepped out of the car. I was keeping my eyes on them as well as continuing to search for any signs of danger. Mrs. Plum had just joined us on the sidewalk when a man started walking towards us. I grabbed the gadget in my pocket and pressed the top, letting the guys inside know there was trouble out on the street. I stepped in front of the two women and went to meet the trouble head on. About that time we were joined by two others. I took a deep breath and determined to do what I could to keep all three busy till reinforcements arrived.

Suddenly there was the sound of a gun being fired from beside me and I saw that Mrs. Mazur had pulled her gun out of her purse and fired off a shot. I'll be damned if she didn't drop one of the trio. About that time, the one I deemed the most dangerous came at me with a knife. As I engaged him in battle I saw the third one go for Mrs. Plum. He grabbed her and I was stunned when I saw her execute one of Stephanie's signature moves and knee the bastard in the nuts. Seconds later my assailant was down with the knife sticking out of his belly. I kneeled down and narrowed my eyes, "Who sent you?"

There was fear on the man's face and he shook his head, "He'll kill me."

"You're dead anyway."

He seemed to think about it for several seconds and then he nodded as a look of peace came over his face. "Tell the Col. its the worst betrayal." His head slumped to the side and I didn't have to check his pulse to know the man was dead.

I stood and turned to see Hector and Hal standing beside the two women. I nodded and said, "Let's get inside. Are you both alright?"

Mrs. Mazur smiled, "Hot damn! I haven't had that much fun since the last time I went out with Stephanie. Damn Helen, I didn't know you had it in you."

Mrs. Plum blushed and said, "Mother! Really! What will these young men think?" She turned to me and said, "My husband told me I needed to come here. Can you tell me if he's here?"

I grinned, "Yes ma'am. I'll be glad to take you right up." I motioned to the man she'd taken out. "That's a Steph worthy move ma'am."

She turned even redder if that was possible. Hal stepped in to tell me they had the cops on the way. I nodded and headed up to 5 with my charges. When I opened the conference room door and escorted them in, I watched as Mrs. Plum flew to her husband and wrapped her arms around him. He pulled her onto his lap and suddenly I felt like a voyeur. Watching the two of them together was like watching Ranger and Steph. My eyes went to Ranger and I knew by the narrowing of his eyes he knew something had happened. It was then that I realized Mrs. Mazur was still holding her gun and Ranger was silently waiting for me to tell him why I screwed up and let her come up here armed.

"There was some difficulty outside on the sidewalk."

Mr. Plum's gaze met mine and I could see the unspoken order. I came to attention and said, "Sir, three men set up an attack. Mrs. Mazur took out one with her gun, I took out one with his knife, and Mrs. Plum took out the third with a Steph worthy move."

Stephanie glared at me and I could feel my cheeks redden. Shit! Now I was in it good. I saw the slight grin on Ranger's face and sighed. "The man I took out was too afraid to talk until I told him he was already dead. Then he told me to tell the Col. its the worst betrayal."

I saw Mr. Plum's eyes narrow. I'd completed my task and so I turned and left to go back to my post, closing the door on my way. As I did I heard Steph ask her dad if he knew what the man meant. I couldn't quiet hear her dad's response.

Mr. Plum's POV:

When Helen came in and flew to me, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her onto my lap. She was still the girl I loved more than life. The fear I saw in her eyes every time I left to go on a mission ate at me until I finally decided I couldn't do it to her anymore. I'd stopped doing missions 15 years ago. That last mission was screwed up from the get go. My buddies and I had the impression none of us were supposed to make it back from that mission alive. I knew there might be consequences from that one, so when I got back I sat Helen down and told her there might one day come a time when I needed her to act first and ask questions later. She just looked at me for several seconds and then tilted her chin in that determined way I loved so well and said, "Let's go to Paris."

I raised my eyebrow and asked, "You want to go on vacation?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed, "Why is it when you say something like that I know exactly what you want, but if I do it's not clear. You told me there would be a time when you'd need me to act first and ask questions later."

I nodded to let her know I was with her.

"I'll know that time has come when you say Let's go to Paris."

Understanding dawned and I smiled at her. I couldn't help teasing her, "You mean all these years the only thing I had to do to get you to do what I asked without asking questions was to say Let's go to Paris? I could have used that advice on our wedding day."

She playfully punched me in the arm. Suddenly she looked serious and asked, "I know this mission didn't go well. Is there anything I can do to help?"

I kissed her and shook my head. "It was the worst betrayal. That's all I can say. It was also my last mission."

The look of hope on her face told me I had done the right thing in not re-signing my contract. "Really?" The sound of her voice barely above a whisper.

"Really. From now on I'm just plain Frank Plum."

She smiled and said, "There's nothing plain about you."

With that she kissed me. By the end of the kiss I had carried her to our bedroom and we spent the rest of the day reaffirming our love for each other. I came back to the present and noticed several pairs of eyes on me. I kissed Helen's cheek and softly told her, "You did beautifully _Angelo_. I am so proud of you."

When Stephanie and Ranger finally got together, I knew he was a trustworthy man and if there was ever a danger to us, he would stop at nothing to protect my daughter and her family. That's when I told Helen I needed to add something to our little emergency code. I told her if I ever used it she was to go straight to Rangeman.

I turned to the others, "Have your men picked up Val and her family yet?"

I watched as Ranger sent his gaze to the man who'd brought me upstairs. Santos I think he said his name was. The man stood and left the room. I looked at Ranger, "Is there somewhere the women can go so we can discuss this?"

Helen glared at me. "Oh no you don't! This concerns me too and I'm not leaving."

"_Angelo_, this is one of those things that's classified."

Helen tilted her chin in that way I love so much and narrowed her eyes, "We're in danger right?"

I nodded.

She nodded and said, "I did what you asked in coming here first without asking questions. Now it's time for you to tell me what's going on. If I can't be included in this conversation, then there is no reason mother and I can't go back to the house."

"Helen, it's not safe."

She shrugged, "How do I know that when you won't tell me anything."

I studied her expression. I turned to the others and was shocked to see the smiles on their faces. When my gaze met my little Pumpkin's, I could see she was silently laughing. I raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's so funny?"

Pumpkin shook her head and said, "I've never seen you two act this way."

I smiled, "There's more of your mother in you than you know Pumpkin."

The man with a flaming skull tattooed on his head spoke softly, "It's like watching Steph when there's a stalker after her and we're trying to keep her safe."

My gaze went to my little Pumpkin. Helen never understood when I gave into my baby, but I could refuse her nothing when she tilted her chin with that determined look. She looked so much like her mother when she did that and my heart just melted. At that moment Santos returned to the room and said, "The team has picked them all up and they are headed to the safe house."

I turned to Helen, "I think the three of you should go to a safe house too."

Helen glared at me and said, "No way."

Ranger started laughing. I turned to him and noticed the stunned shock on his men's faces. The only other person smiling was Stephanie. I raised an eyebrow and asked, "What?"

Ranger shook his head and said, "Sir, if your daughter is truly like your wife, then you don't have a snowballs chance in hell of getting her to a safe house."

"You've tried to put my daughter in a safe house?"

"Every time she's in danger. I'd love noting more than to lock her up safe and sound till I can deal with the danger. I even had her here once and left orders for the men to stun her if she tried to leave. She managed to get one of my men to hand her his stun gun and she used it on him."

I couldn't help it, I laughed.

Ranger went on to say, "I can assure you sir, I have the clearance and so do the men in this room. As far as the ladies, they could go up to 7 and relax…"

He got no further before Stephanie interrupted, "Hold it right there Batman. I'm staying. My apartment and the car I've been driving were both blown up. I have the right to know what's going on."

I watched as he placed a hand on her cheek, "Yes you do Babe. I just thought your mom and grandma might be more comfortable upstairs with you there."

I watched as they looked at each other for several seconds before Stephanie sighed. She turned Helen and said, "Mom?"

Helen looked at me and I could see the fear in her eyes that she was trying to hide. I smiled and said, "Please."

Helen rolled her eyes and sighed. She stood and said, "Let's go. We'll leave the children to play war games while we go upstairs and make our own battle plan."

We watched them walk out the door. I didn't bother looking away from my wife as I said, "We're in trouble now."

I heard Ranger say, "Oh yeah. Big time."

_**The next update will be Monday. **_


	4. A Piece Of The Past

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 4: A Piece of the Past

Stephanie's POV:

We made our way to the elevator and I used my key fob to get us up to 7. If I wasn't so pissed right now I would have thought it funny at the way the guys gave grandma a wide birth. I thought Ranger and I had made progress, but after what just happened I wasn't so sure anymore. I decided to wait and see what happened though. He was right when he said mom and grandma would probably relax more if I joined them in our apartment. Once I showed them inside I went through to the kitchen and grabbed us each something to drink. While I was getting the drinks, I noticed Ella had left a chicken and rice casserole in the fridge so I took it out and put it in the oven to warm up. I grabbed three bottles of water and took them over to the table where they had sat down. I joined them and turned to mom.

I smiled and said, "So ma…anything you want to tell me?"

Mom smiled, "What can I say? He grabbed me and I did the first thing that came to mind."

"Apparently there are some things I don't know about you."

Mom took a deep breath and turned to face me. I watched as grandma took hold of mom's hand and gave it a squeeze. "It's time you let her in on it. She's not like Val. You don't have to pretend."

I watched as mom gently squeezed grandma's hand and nodded. "I met your father when he was an Army Ranger. I couldn't help but fall in love with him. He was so handsome and such a wonderful man. I was in a restaurant with a date and the young man started getting too forward. I was struggling and your father came over and asked if he could help. I felt a connection right away and I knew I was safe with him. I told him I wanted to go home but my date wasn't cooperating. He held out his hand to me and we were headed out to his car when my date came after us. Joe Juniak was out in the parking lot and when he saw how upset I was he came right over. My date came out of the restaurant with a gun in his hand and made some threats. Joe went to arrest him, because at the time he was a detective. Well my date shot Joe and turned the gun on me. He would have shot me but your father stepped right in there and disarmed him and had his hands cuffed behind his back before he could blink. Frank used Joe's radio to call it in and we stayed with him till the ambulance and police arrived. I fell in love with your dad that night. Three months later we were married and nine months later Valerie came along. Your father left the Ranger's when you were born. He wanted to spend more time at home with his family. He did agree however, to go on missions. His last mission ended 15 years ago. We talked for some time after that. The mission was a disaster from the start. Frank said in some ways he didn't think any of his team was supposed to come out alive. He told me it was the worst betrayal. He told me there might come a time when he would need me to act first and ask questions later. I told him I'd know when that time came if he said, Let's go to Paris. When you and Ranger finally got together he told me if there was ever danger, I should come here to Rangeman."

I got a funny feeling when mom said 'it was the worst betrayal'. After all, that's what the guy said before he died from what Binkie said. I noticed grandma and mom had the same idea. I stood up and said, "Come on. Ranger has a computer in his office up here. Maybe we can do some searching while they are downstairs planning what they are going to do."

They both smiled and we made our way to Ranger's home office. Before I sat down I had a thought and turned to mom, "I have a casserole in the oven. It only needs 20 minutes so if you could keep track of time so I can concentrate on the search?"

Mom smiled, "I'll make sure it doesn't burn, don't you worry. You just do what you do best."

I raised my eyebrows. Mom smiled at the look on my face and wrapped her arms around me. "I love you Stephanie Michelle Plum. You are perfect just the way you are. The only reason I keep bringing up all those other jobs is because I don't want you to feel trapped into this job you do."

Grandma grinned and added, "And the only reason she tells you other girl's mothers don't have daughters doing whatever is because she's so proud she's the only mother in the Burg who has such a wonderful, talented daughter."

I glared at them, "So why are you always trying to fix me up with losers?"

Mom and grandma both laughed, but it was mom who said, "I just want to point out the choices around here are limited so you better grab one of those hunks you always have around you if you want a real man like your father."

"I always thought I never measured up. That Valerie could do no wrong and I could do no right."

I saw the sad look on mom's face as she turned to me, "I never meant to make you feel like that. I spent so much time praising Val because I knew she would never be as independent and capable as you. I knew I was her only rooting section so I tried to build her up as much as possible, but I never intended to make you feel like you didn't measure up. Believe me; I know exactly how that feels. Your grandma Plum never approved of me. She felt Frank married beneath him when we got married and she lost no time letting me know that."

Grandma grinned, "Wasn't till after you married and divorced that horse's ass that she figured the best way to get you not to do something was to harp on you what a good thing it would be."

My eyes opened in surprise, "None of you wanted me to marry Dickie, but I was determined it was what I was going to do."

My mom nodded, "No matter how much I tried to get you to change your mind you wouldn't do it. So finally, I decided to stay quiet and just be there when it ended. I have to say, you went out of that marriage with real style."

I laughed, suddenly seeing my life in a different light. I turned to the computer and got to work. I had 5 searches running when mom said, "Twenty minutes is up. Let's go eat while these are running and maybe when we get done they will be too."

I nodded and stood. We headed out to the kitchen and I set the table while mom got the casserole out of the oven. I pulled the fixings for salads out of the fridge and the three of us worked in companionable silence for the few minutes it took to get everything ready. We talked while we ate and I learned more about my mom in that half hour then I'd learned in the last 30 years of my life. We cleaned up the kitchen when we finished and headed back to Ranger's home office. I sat down at the desk and pulled up the searches. My eyes widened as I looked at the screen at the information staring me in the face.


	5. In It Together

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 5: In It Together

Helen Plum's POV:

I didn't understand everything that we were looking at but by the expression on Stephanie's face I knew it was good. She printed out what she'd found and we headed into the den. We sat down and I smiled. When we left downstairs, I'd made a comment and it was time to make our plan of action. By the time we finished, we were all smiling and looking forward to seeing the looks on the men's faces. The one who got the biggest kick out of it was my mother. She looked like a kid in a candy store. Hmm, well when I looked at it that way, maybe she was.

We'd just finished our little discussion when we heard the elevator sound, alerting us to the arrival of the others. Ranger led the group followed by Frank, and three other men. As many times as they'd been to the house when Stephanie had stalkers, I knew they were Tank, Lester and Bobby. The men came in and joined us in the den. I was glad when Frank came over and sat beside and I could see Stephanie relax for the first time when Ranger sat down and pulled her onto his lap. It was all I could do to keep from laughing when mother put our plan into action and said, "Whose lap do I sit on?"

The look of horror on Tank, Lester and Bobby's faces was priceless. Not one to wait for an answer, mother looked all three of them over, grinned and went over and sat between Lester and Bobbie. It looked like they paled but I couldn't be sure. I looked at Stephanie from under my lowered eyes and noticed she was having a hard time keeping from laughing as well. Suddenly Lester jumped and his eyes widened. He scooted as far away from mother as he could and a few seconds later Bobby jumped and moved as close to the edge of the sofa as he could get. I thought I saw Tank smirk but I couldn't be sure. Well, I'd just have to make sure mother didn't leave him out. I wouldn't want him to think he wasn't just as much a stud as his two friends.

The men were talking about the three of us joining Val and her family while they took care of the threat. I'll admit, there was no way I wanted to have to deal with those people, but that didn't mean I was willing to be driven nuts by my oldest child and her family just to stay safe. I turned and looked at Frank. "Let me get this straight. You want the three of us to go with a couple of Ranger's men to the same safe house where Val and her family are staying?"

Frank smiled at me and nodded. "That's the plan. With the three of you there, everyone will be safer."

I frowned, "Frank, I thought you loved me."

"I do love you Helen. What brought this on?"

"You wanting me to put myself in the same house as Val and her family again. You know how it was when she moved back home. If I have to be locked up with them for days on end, I might never see you again. They'll lock me up and throw away the key. Beside the guilt I would feel for having strangled a member of my family."

Dad smiled, "I've been living with your mother for years now and I haven't given in to the desire to off her. I'm sure you can do the same staying with Val and her family at the safe house."

I narrowed my eyes and said, "You need to rethink this right now."

Frank's eyes widened as if he just got a glimpse of how serious I was. He turned to Ranger but it looked like Ranger was in an intense conversation with Stephanie. She looked even more pissed than I was and from the looks of it, Ranger was being as inflexible as Frank. Suddenly Ranger turned and looked at Frank. Both men sighed and then Frank turned back to me and said, "You aren't going to let this go are you Helen?"

"No. I'm affected by this too and I think I have a say in what we do. I know you and Ranger are the better planners and I will listen to what you want me to do up to a point. But I need to be involved in this. I think Stephanie and mother feel the same way. We don't want to be dismissed."

"Alright. We planned with you three being with us, but we thought it was worth a try to get you to the safe house first."

About that time mother stood to stretch and slowly walked around the room looking at the décor. Bobby and Lester were breathing easier but Tank was as yet unaware of the danger he was suddenly in. Looks like mother felt she had been ignoring his presence long enough. When she reached the love seat where he was seated, she plopped down and her hand went right to Tank's lap. He jumped up off the love seat as if he'd been bit by a snake and quickly moved behind the sofa where Bobby and Lester were sitting. The two of them were sporting mile wide grins and I could have sworn Lester asked 'what's wrong big guy?'

Tank glared down at the two men and nothing further was said. Can't say as I blamed them. A glaring Tank is more than I want to deal with on a good day let alone a day like today. I turned my gaze to mother and she had a self-satisfied grin on her face. I was secretly amused by the way she looked at those three men as if she'd love nothing better than jumping their bones. They were hot after all and my father had been gone a long time. Of course I always acted as if I was horrified by her actions because she seemed to get such a kick out of it.

Frank claimed my attention by kissing my neck and moving his way up my neck with his mouth, letting his tongue trail a path of fire up my neck till his mouth finally covered my own. When we came up for air he leaned his forehead against mine and said, "Don't worry _Angelo_, I will keep you safe."

"I know you will. We're in this together though. This bastard is threatening my family and I have no intention of letting him get away with that."

I heard someone clear their throat and turned around to see Tank grimacing. "Boss, do we take the ladies to the safe house?"


	6. Information Comes In

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 6: Information Comes In

Ranger's POV:

I held Babe in my arms while we were talking about her going with her grandma and mother to the safe house where we already had Val and her family. The ladies were having nothing to do with that. I could see Helen was giving Frank as much grief as Babe was giving me over it. I met her gaze and knew it was pointless to discuss it any further. She always could get me to go against my better judgment. I'd had her handcuffed at one point during the Ramos incident, but one look in her eyes and everything was over. I let her go. Sure I put a time limit on it, but that was only so she wouldn't know just how much power she had over me.

I nuzzled her neck and trailed a pathway up to her mouth. When our lips met, I knew it was lost. I'd let her stay and I would do everything in my power to protect her. When Tank cleared his throat I turned my gaze to him. When he asked if they needed to take the ladies to the safe house I said, "No. They'll stay here." I turned to Stephanie and said, "Babe, I need to know that you're going to listen to me and follow my directions. I need to make sure you're as safe as I can make it."

She looked at me for several seconds before nodding and saying, "I know you'll keep us safe and I will listen to you, but I also want you to listen to me. I need to know what's happening too."

"I'll let you in on it as much as possible, but there will be times I can't give you the information you might want because it's classified."

"Fair enough. Now would you like to see what I found out while you guys have been making plans?"

I raised an eyebrow and waited for her to show me. She handed me several papers and as I read I couldn't believe what I was reading. I looked into her eyes, "Where did you get this information?"

"I ran 5 searches and this is what I came up with."

I shook my head. I narrowed my eyes and passed the papers to the Col. He took them and read them. His reaction was much the same as mine. Disbelief. Apparently there was a huge hole in the security of classified missions.

Frank shook his head and asked, "You got this from a routine search?"

Stephanie tilted her head and replied, "I got that from a Rangeman search. We tend to get more information from searches than most people. I insured getting the most information available because I ran a specified search."

I watched as Frank beamed with pride. He turned to Helen and said, "She's so much like you its scary." Then he turned back to Steph and said, "I'm proud of you Pumpkin."

I watched as Stephanie's face lit up. I was glad to see her parents appreciating the wonderful woman she was. "This will change things a bit." I told them.

I could see Steph biting her bottom lip. I pulled her closer and asked, "What's wrong Babe?"

"When I was reading over the information on the man that died on the mission, I got a hinky feeling. Like something was off."

I turned to Frank. He nodded, "Danvers wasn't too thrilled with the mission from the get go. He thought something was off right at the start. If we hadn't listened to him, we all would have been dead instead of just Martins. The look in his eyes when he knew he was going to die still haunts me to this day."

Steph turned to me and asked, "So, what's the plan Batman?"

I smiled and ran a finger down her cheek, smiled and told her teasingly, "The plan is to catch this bastard so you'll be safe."

She didn't disappoint. She rolled her eyes and replied, "Like I didn't already have that part figured out."

I could hear the guys laughing at her comment. "Woody, Hal, Zip, Zero, and Bones are with Val and her family. You'll stay here with your mom and grandma. You can use my office here to do any searches you think might help."

I could see the wheels turning. I knew whatever came out of her mouth next was going to be a bomb. As I listened to her next words I smiled. She never disappointed. She turned to her dad and said, "I think you should stay here with us daddy. From what you said, all the other times these things happened, they stopped after one of your buddies disappeared. Whoever is doing this is after you."

I watched as dawning hit. Frank shook his head and said, "I'll be careful Pumpkin, but I intend to help these young men find this bastard."

Steph nodded. "Okay. I guess if we're careful it'll be okay."

"Oh no. You stay here with your mother and grandmother."

Babe smiled, "But daddy, surely if it's safe enough for you then it's safe enough for us."

I could see the battle of the wills as their eyes locked. I glanced over at my men and noticed the shit eating grins on their faces as well. Finally, Frank Plum sighed and nodded. "Alright Pumpkin. I'll keep you ladies company."

Steph smiled. I glanced at her dad and he was staring at me with a raised eyebrow as if daring me to say a word. He did say, "We're in trouble now" when the ladies came upstairs. I had agreed with him. Our plan would still go off without a hitch even if he weren't taking part. As a matter of fact it might be easier with him up here with the women. They would have extra protection and we could concentrate our efforts on taking this guy out.


	7. Moving Forward

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 7: Moving Forward

Stephanie's POV:

For some reason, the information I had found from my searches was causing a sick feeling in my stomach. Something wasn't right. Five men went on that mission and four of them came back. Martins was the man who died. I needed to do some more checking on him. Just to be sure I'd do some more digging on Danvers too. With the search engines at Rangeman, I would have more access then the general public. The ding of the elevator brought me out of my thoughts and I turned to see Ella arriving with the food cart.

Mom, grandma and I jumped up to help her and in no time, dinner was on the table. The men joined us and we shelved all talk about what was going on and turned the conversation to general topics. I couldn't help but smile at the domestic scene. Three years ago I would never picture Ranger in this type of setting. Suddenly, he turned his head and our eyes locked. I knew the smile was still on my face and also knew Batman was well aware of what I'd been thinking.

The food was delicious of course, and Ella had included a Turtle Cheesecake with the meal. Once everyone was finished, I cleaned up the kitchen while the others went back into the den. When I joined them there was tension between mom and dad. I went over and joined Ranger, and in a voice barely above a whisper asked, "What's going on?"

"Your dad thinks a visit to Washington might be beneficial and your mother reminded him he told you he would stay here with the three of you."

"What do you think?"

Ranger gave a slight lift of his shoulder. "We might get more information, but in the long run its too great a risk. If they weren't expected to make it back, this could be a way of correcting that on someone's part."

I turned to look at my parents. I couldn't help but smile at the determination on my mom's face. "Daddy, why don't we wait and see what we can learn on our own first. I'll continue the searches and you can help us with that because no one will have more first-hand knowledge about the information than you."

Daddy's gaze turned to me and I knew that look. Well I had one of those looks to and I gave back as good as I was getting. I wasn't backing down on this either. Our face off was brought to an end when the guys started chuckling. It was Lester who commented, "Beautiful, no wonder we have so much trouble getting you to a safe house whenever you have a crazy after you. You got a double dose of stubborn."

I turned to Lester and gave him my best Burg glare. Lester's eyes got big and he put his hands in the air in surrender. Not only was I staring daggers at him but so were my parents and grandma. It was grandma who spoke, "I think it's more than a _double_ dose. After all, she has her grandpa Mazur and myself in her as well. Plus there's her grandpa Plum."

Not knowing when to leave well enough alone, Lester asked, "What about her grandmother Plum?"

Daddy cleared his throat and said, "We'll leave my mother out of the equation. Let's just suffice it to say my Pumpkin comes by her tenacity honestly shall we."

I asked, "Does that mean you're going to forget about going to Washington for now?"

"Do I have a chance of making that trip on my own?"

"There's a chance…just not a good one. I want to get out there and get this guy just as much as you do. He bombed my apartment and my car…in the same day. He's upped the ante for all the bets going on around town."

Daddy frowned, "What bets?"

"The cops, the firemen, even the guys downstairs bet on my life."

My dad glared at Ranger, "You let your men bet on my daughter?"

Ranger smiled, "I don't think Steph really minds it, do you Babe?"

I smiled, "No." I turned to my dad, "When the guys bet on me, they bet on _me_. What's more, they've never lost a bet. The benefit to me is that they share their winnings with me and I usually get Pino's or a dozen Boston Cream doughnuts."

My dad smiled and gave a slight smile. "Looks like they're even smarter than I thought." Then the frown returned, "Now to have a conversation with Eddie and Carl at the cop shop and Tom and Dave at the firehouse."

I smiled. I leaned back against Ranger and asked, "So. What's our plan of action?"

Ranger put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Right now it's a matter of gathering information and digging into what happened to the other families at the same time as make sure all of you are protected. The information you dug up will help immensely."

"Will you let me do the searches?"

Ranger nodded, "They're yours. You have the best chance of finding the connection. I trust your instincts to get to the bottom of it."

I felt safe held in Ranger's arms. There was no place I'd rather be at the moment and I settled back and listened as the guys talked about what we were going to be doing to find out who was behind this.

Grandma spoke up and asked, "So what's my job? There's a lot an old bird like me can do at a time like this."

I felt Ranger tense and almost lost it at the look of horror on Bobby, Lester and Tank's faces.


	8. Another Voice

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 8: Another Voice

Unknown POV:

I watched the girl come out of the apartment building and run to the back of the parking lot. My eyes narrowed. I was disappointed she wouldn't be caught in the blast when the apartment blew. I grinned when she stopped by the car though…maybe I would get to see her blown up yet. But as I watched and saw her running towards the others, I knew that wasn't to be.

It's not that I had anything against her. She was just a means to the end. I knew I couldn't take her on directly. I'd done my homework well. She was too good for me to get face to face with. I narrowed my eyes at those surrounding her. I had to find a way to get to her. Maybe I could use one of them to do that.

I took out the photo I'd been carrying around with me for 15 years. I remembered that day as if it was yesterday. I remembered the betrayal I had felt on that day and the promise I'd made to myself to see the person responsible pay…and pay with what was most dear to them. I looked at the girl again and smiled. Looked like I was going to get my way in spades.

Stephanie's POV:

I woke up to see Ranger sitting on the side of the bed putting his running shoes on. When he was done, he turned to me and laid a hand on my head. He grinned, "Want to join me for a run in the gym Babe?"

I just looked at him. He leaned over and kissed me before saying, "Go back to sleep Babe. I'll see you later."

My eyes closed and I didn't surface for another 3 hours. I slipped out of bed and made my way into the shower. Once I had showered and washed my hair, I dried, dressed and brushed my hair, pulling it back into a ponytail. I had some ideas of how I wanted to do the searches today and I was anxious to get started. There was something about the information I got yesterday that gave me a hinky feeling. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something there. I'd asked Ranger to get me all he could on the guys with my dad on that last mission. For some reason I couldn't let go of it.

I made my way to the kitchen and smiled when I saw mom and grandma sitting at the table. Mom smiled when I walked into the room. "Want me to make you some pancakes for breakfast?"

I smiled, "That would be great."

Mom got up and started mixing up the batter for pancakes. I found some strawberries in the fridge and pulled them out along with butter. I frowned, not seeing anything that would pass as syrup. When she saw my frown, mom asked what was wrong. I told her about Ranger's peculiar eating habits and there was nothing resembling syrup in the apartment. She gave me a list of ingredients and before I knew it we had homemade syrup cooking on the stove. When I poured some on my pancakes and took a bite, I couldn't help the moan that escaped.

We were just finishing up when daddy came into the kitchen. He must have been downstairs with the guys because the elevator had dinged before daddy had arrived. I asked him if he wanted some pancakes and he sat and mom fixed him a plate. As he ate, I started thinking about the searches I wanted to do today.

"Daddy, do you think you could give me some information on the guys with you on the last mission? Just the kind of information that the general public would know."

"Sure Pumpkin. When do you want to start?"

"How about as soon as you get done eating?"

"Sure Pumpkin."

Once daddy had finished eating, we stood and wandered into Ranger's home office. I sat down at the desk and daddy pulled up a chair. He looked at me for several moments before saying, "Pumpkin, I get the feeling something is bothering you. Can you tell me about it?"

"Every time I think about your last mission I get a hinky feeling. Like there's something about that mission that is involved with what's happening now."

He narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Okay. Let's take them one at a time. Danvers. Gerald Danvers was my Lt. He specialized in information retrieval. He married a fashion model a few months after our last mission. Her name was Bridget Moore. There were no children but Gerry always seemed happy."

I plugged in all the information daddy gave me on Gerry Danvers. Once that search was under way I turned to daddy and said, "Okay. Next up?"

"Sgt. Martins was our explosives expert. Dominic Martins got married about the same time I did. He has a son Val's age. His wife had a difficult delivery and something happened to make it so she couldn't have other children. Her name was Mary Price before she married Dom. He always seemed devoted to her. Said she was his reason for living." Daddy frowned, "I never gave it much thought before, but now that I try to remember what I can about the past, Dom never seemed to have much time for his son. It's like he was jealous of the time the boy took Mary away from him. I think he would have been happy if it had been just the two of them. Something else that just came to mind. Gerry and Dom were best friends at one time, but that seemed to change once Dom married Mary. I came upon them one time arguing and remember Dom telling Gerry to keep his eyes off his wife."

Once I had those searches running I turned back to my dad and asked, "Whose next?"

Daddy smiled, "Ralph Bellini. He was the oldest member of our group. He was a Major even though he wasn't the man in charge. Ralph never married and to my knowledge had no children. He was the jokester of the group, but the man you wanted at your side in a fight. He didn't know the meaning of the word quit."

I nodded once I had him plugged in and then daddy looked thoughtful for a minute before giving me the last name. "That brings us to Lawrence Nettle. He was another Lt. and he was the hand to hand combat expert. He married Lucille Sabotini and they had three sons. He was married when we started basics together. It was one of those things where the girl got pregnant and her family put pressure on that the two kids get married. Larry was a skirt chaser though. I think there was bad blood between him and Dom as well because Larry was always commenting on what he'd like to do with Mary. Kept going on about what a beauty she was."

I bit my lip and looked at daddy, "Is there anything you want to tell me about you? I need to do a search on you as well."

My dad smiled and winked, "No Pumpkin. I have nothing to hide and anything you find I'm not ashamed of."

I nodded and smiled, "Good to know."

Once I had all the searches going I turned to my dad and sighed, "Nothing more we can do here until the searches start coming through. I'll get working on the information Ranger left about the other incidents and see what I can come up with."

"Okay Pumpkin. I'm going to go see what your mother is up to."

I had just finished putting in all the information when one of my searches came in with a flashing alert. My eyes quickly scanned the information, my eyes opening wide in shock at what I was reading.


	9. More Searches Come In

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 9: More Searches Come In

Stephanie's POV:

I stood and made my way out to the kitchen. I recognized the voices as I neared the kitchen. It looks like Tank, Bobby and Lester had joined us. I walked in to see the guys enjoying some of my mom's famous pancakes with the syrup we had made. The elevator dinged and I turned to see Ranger walk in with a scowl on his face. "What is that smell? I got a whiff of it when I entered the elevator on 5."

My mom smiled and said, "Pancakes with homemade syrup. Would you like some?"

Ranger glared before stalking over to the stove and looking in the pan. I had to smile at the look on his face. I had no idea what he was expecting to crawl out of the pan…Geez! He turned to my mom and I could see her getting flustered. That look on Ranger would have me flustered too. He lifted the pan and sniffed before quickly moving the pan to the sink and dumping the contents.

Mom was outraged at his actions and tried to say something but it wasn't coming out right. She was getting more and more flustered as Ranger made no comment, just gave her one of his bad ass looks. I wanted to say something, but there was just something about the scene that struck my funny bone and I was doing all I could not to burst out laughing. Finally, daddy came to her rescue and said, "I'll have you know my wife is the best cook around. You're missing out if you don't try her homemade syrup."

It was at that moment that grandma piped up with, "You went and wasted all that goodness. I could have poured it all over your package and had myself a smorgasbord. Course, I would have needed all four of you nice young studs to get my fill."

The look on their faces! I lost it. I was on the floor laughing so hard my sides hurt when Ranger came over and lifted me to face him. He had one eyebrow raised and I could tell he wasn't happy with my reaction. It took me several minutes to get myself under control, and Ranger wasn't helping by looking at me that way because every time I met his gaze I started laughing all over again. Finally, I managed to get myself under control and noticed everyone looking at me with varying looks of disbelief.

My mom whispered, "Aren't you afraid to laugh at them? I mean…" She didn't finish her thought but I had an idea what she meant.

Daddy was looking at me to see what was so funny. I think he wanted to make sure I wasn't laughing at mom.

Grandma was smiling ear to ear, "I'd love to be a fly on the wall when you and the super stud talk about this."

I turned to the guys and noticed their pouty expressions. Then there was Ranger. His look said he was pissed, but his eyes said something totally different. I smiled and said, "All the times you guys laugh at me because of my rolling in garbage and my cars blowing up and stuff…its about time I get to laugh at you guys for a change."

I turned to grandma, "Sorry to burst your bubble grandma, but if anyone gets to pour syrup on Ranger and enjoy the buffet, it will be me. He's mine. You can take your pick of the rest."

Three frantic voices asked, "What!" Followed by, "Beautiful, I thought you liked me!" And two voices saying, "Bomber, you wouldn't really throw us to the wolves?"

I smiled at the guys as I turned and leaned into Ranger. I leaned up and whispered, "She had a good idea. Too bad you threw out the good stuff."

Ranger whispered back, "Babe, I can more than make up for that. I don't have any bad stuff."

I moaned. I reached up and kissed Ranger on the cheek and softly said, "I'll be back in a minute. I need to check my searches."

Ranger covered my lips with his and kissed me thoroughly before releasing me. I hurried into his office and checked the computer. I noticed several things were in so I printed them all off. When I lifted the stack, I screamed at what I saw on the top sheet. Ranger had me in his arms in seconds while he was scanning the room to see what had made me scream. I held out the paper to him and he swore.

Daddy asked, "What's wrong?"

I took a deep breath and said, "I printed out the info from the searches and when I picked them up, this was on the top."

I held up a sheet of paper that said,

**I'm sorry I missed you. Next time I'll get it right. Tell daddy goodbye.**

The guys were swearing. Ranger's voice was deadly soft, "I want to know how that got in with the searches. Tell Hector to set up an electronic barricade so we can make sure no more get through."

Tank nodded and left. Lester touched my cheek gently and said, "Don't worry Beautiful. We'll keep you safe."

I nodded, but didn't say anything. I leaned into Ranger and let his closeness comfort me. Suddenly I had a thought. What if the note was meant as nothing more than a distraction? Something to get our focus going in another direction. I moved slightly back and looked up at Ranger. "I think whoever sent that wants us focusing on the note instead of what the searches uncovered. I need to read through them and see what might be in there someone doesn't want us to find."

Ranger nodded, "Alright Babe. Let's go through the searches."

"It's okay Batman…I can do it."

"I'm not leaving you on your own so just get used to dealing with it."

I smiled. As far as I was concerned, Ranger could stay by my side 24/7 and I'd be just fine. I mean really! He is one hot guy. I felt his body shake with silent laughter and gave him a puzzled look before looking around the room. Mom was redder than I've ever seen her, daddy was looking anywhere but at me, and grandma Mazur had a smile a mile wide and a twinkle in her eyes. I looked back up to Ranger. "Out loud?"

Ranger was smiling his full 2000 watt smile. "Oh yeah."

I leaned my forehead against his chest and whispered, "Shit!"

_**I would like to give a special thanks to trhodes9 for the suggestion of the scene at the beginning of the story. Thanks a lot, hope I did it justice.**_


	10. Reading Between The Lines

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 10: Reading Between The Lines

Stephanie's POV:

I took the papers I had printed out and sat down on the sofa in the den. I was vaguely aware of mom and grandma sitting around watching a DVD on the big screen. Ranger and the guys were still in the kitchen talking about the latest happening. I started highlighting information that struck me as important. I was nearly halfway through my searches when something occurred to me. I went back and searched through the papers I'd already read. Yes! There it was. I got a different highlighter and re-highlighted some of the information and set that aside so I could go and double highlight the rest of the information that tied in with the thought.

By the time I made my way through all the papers in the stack, I had 5 sheets that had double highlighted items on them. I re-read those and set them down. I closed my eyes for a few moments as I was starting to get a headache. I had no more than leaned back when something flashed in my mind and I suddenly sat up and opened my eyes, grabbing for the sheets once more. I quickly leafed through them until I came to the part I needed. I read it once, then three more times to make sure I was really reading what I thought I was. Damn! I think this was it.

I stood and made my way into the kitchen. I was looking down at the papers in my hand so at first the sudden quiet didn't register. Then I looked up and noticed all the guys were staring at me with their blank faces on. My eyes narrowed but I decided to ignore their attempt to keep me out of the loop. I stopped beside Ranger and handed him the papers. I waited till he read them over, anxious to see if he saw the same thing I did.

After he finished he handed the papers to my father and then they made the rounds to the others. Lester raised an eyebrow and shrugged, "I must be missing something. What is it you found?"

My eyes widened, Bobby seemed to agree with Lester. Tank had a frown on his face like he was still puzzling over what I found. When I looked at daddy he gave me a nod, and I noticed Ranger's eyes were dancing. I sighed, "The family hit the hardest so far was the Danvers. Every one of his children was targeted. The only family he seems to be trying to take out is daddy's. More specifically, me."

Bobby reached for the papers once more and read through them. He looked at my father and asked, "No disrespect sir, but was there ever anything between you and Martins' wife?"

Daddy shook his head, "Never. I made it very clear Helen was the only woman I was interested in. Mary was always friendly, but I just figured that was her way."

I bit my lip, "How did she act towards you after Martins was killed?"

He shrugged, "I offered my condolences but never had anything else to do with her."

I nodded and asked, "What about the other guys?"

He hesitated and then, "I heard Danvers was seen taking her out a few times. Something happened with her son though and she moved away."

"What happened with her son?" I asked.

Daddy shook his head, "He went off the deep end after losing his father. Mary thought a change of scenery would do him some good."

We all looked at each other. I said, "I didn't come across any mention of counseling or him being placed for care."

Daddy frowned, "Unless they changed their names."

I had a sudden thought. "I'll be right back."

I rushed into Ranger's home office and turned on the computer. While I was waiting I went back into the den and grabbed the rest of the papers. I took them back with me to the office and sat down to go through the information once again. There it was on the fourth page in. I didn't know how I could have missed this before. I turned to the now ready computer and plugged in the rest of the information I needed. What I got made all the blood drain from my face and a wave of dizziness wash over me. I couldn't move. I tried to call for Ranger, but all that came out was a weak squeak. Finally, I took a deep breath and cried out, "Ranger!"

In seconds he was behind me as were the rest of the men. If the situation wasn't so serious I would have burst into laughter as they all said in unison, "_SHIT_!"

Ranger turned to Bobby, "Call the hospital and see what they can tell you."

Bobby nodded and went to do his bidding. Lester pointed to something on the screen and said, "I'll check that out."

Ranger gave a miniscule nod and Lester left as well. Tank took a deep breath and said, "I'm making a call to Washington. No way had this run under the radar without someone helping to keep it that way."

Again a nod and Tank left. Ranger laid a hand on my shoulder and said, "Proud of you Babe."

My dad looked at him for several seconds and then smiled. "You really are proud of my little girl aren't you?"

It was more statement then question. Ranger answered anyway, "I love your daughter sir. She never does anything that I'm not proud of."

My dad smiled, "That's a nice change from some others I could name."

Ranger's eyes narrowed in anger, "Don't get me started on that asshole sir."

Daddy laughed and laid a hand on the top of my head, "This one's a keeper Pumpkin."

I smiled and said, "I have every intention on keeping Ranger for a lifetime."

We were interrupted by Ranger's cell phone ringing. He pulled it out and answered with a "Yo." After a few seconds pause, he looked at me and his eyes narrowed before he replied, "Tell that jackass to be in my office first thing in the morning with the complete file or I'm coming after him and it won't be pretty."


	11. A Suspect Emerges

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 11: A Suspect Emerges

Ranger's POV:

I stormed into my office where I'd had Tank put the suit from Washington. When the door slammed into the wall the panty waste sitting in the guest chair jumped and turned as if he was expecting hostiles to take him prisoner. When he saw me, he visibly relaxed. I smiled…the dumb shit had no idea how afraid he should be. I went to the front of my desk and leaned back, crossing my arms over my chest.

The stupid idiot in front of me actually smiled. "Mr. Manoso, what can I do for you?"

"You can tell me why Mary Martin was relocated and the paperwork was buried."

The dumb shit smiled condescendingly and said, "That's none of your business."

I made a lightning fast move and had him pinned to the chair. With a growl I spoke in a deadly soft voice, "Wrong answer asshole. Now either tell me what I want to know or you aren't leaving here breathing…and they'll never find your body to need any paperwork."

The scared shitless expression was back. He started stuttering and finally managed to get out, "Lt. Gerald Danvers asked us to bury the paper work as a favor to him. Said he wanted to help his old pal Dominic Martins' wife out of a tough spot. The General agreed."

"I want all the information you have on them."

He suddenly paled even more. "I can't give you that information."

I smiled, "Lt. Michaels, I will get that information. I don't care what I have to do to get it. Someone is threatening the woman I love. I will do _anything_ I have to in order to protect her."

"I wish I could help, but its password encrypted."

I lifted the phone and when it was answered I said, "My office. Now!"

I stood staring at the Lt. until there was a knock on my door. Without looking away I said, "Enter."

Lester walked in and asked, "What do you need me to do?"

"Escort Lt. Michaels to the airport. Make it look like he caught his flight and then bring him back here and put him in one of the cells downstairs."

Lester smiled and turned to the Lt. The sudden smell of urine in the office only made the monsters inside us smile all the wider. I watched Lester lead the little rodent out of my office, confident that within 2 hours he would be downstairs in a holding cell praying for mercy. I sat down at my desk and pulled up the information I wanted. I stared at the screen and cursed the fact that I couldn't get the information I wanted right this second. I closed my eyes and could have sworn I heard a child's voice say, "Rumplestilskin."

I went to stand up but felt a small hand rest on my arm. Again that same child's voice said, "Go on. Type it in."

My gaze darted around the room before coming back to the computer screen. My hands seem to lift of their own accord and I typed the word in. I'll be damned if the file didn't open up. What I found seem to cause more questions rather than bring answers. I wrote down the address and decided to check it out. I clicked the file closed and headed back to 7. If I planned on going to check this out, I knew I needed to get Babe's take on everything.

When I entered my apartment, I saw Steph's parents and grandma watching a DVD. I headed into my home office, figuring that's where I would find her. Sure enough. She was seated behind my desk reading something on the computer screen. "What did you find Babe?"

She glanced in my direction before turning back to the screen before her. "I think I've found some things we need to check out."

I went around behind the desk and took a look at what she was reading. "I have something to check out too. I thought I'd see if you wanted to come with me."

She turned and stared at me stunned. After several seconds she asked, "You're actually willing to let me come with you?"

I smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah Babe. I trust your instincts. I think you might be able to help on this one."

She nodded, "I'm ready."

I reached out for her hand. "Let's take a drive. You'll need an overnight bag. We'll be staying somewhere over night."

"Okay. I'll go pack us a bag and be right back."

I watched her walk away and couldn't help but admire her tight little ass. Once she was totally out of sight I headed into the den to let the Col. Know what was going on. To say he wasn't happy would be putting it mildly. I assured him I would protect Stephanie and he reluctantly agreed she might be able to get information in a way I might not be able to. When Stephanie joined us, her father wrapped her in his arms and told her to be safe. She smiled and told him not to worry because she had Batman on her side. I could only smile at her insistence on calling me Batman. I called Tank and told him where we would be going and assured him I'd protect Steph. We headed down to the garage and I helped her into the Turbo before going around and getting in the driver's seat. I pulled out of the garage and spent the first hour making sure we didn't have a tail, the next half hour making sure if there was a tail they would have no clue where we were, and another two hours driving around in circles before heading in the direction I wanted us to go.

Stephanie and I had been conversing the whole time. She went over the short list of suspects. For some reason, she got a funny feeling whenever she thought about her dad's last mission. I trusted her instincts enough to know if she thought there was something there, we needed to check it out. We talked about the 5 men that went on that mission. Her father, whom she did a search on and found out 75% of the information on her dad, was about her. I frowned at that. That didn't seem right to me. I knew I'd have to check into that when things settled down.

Next she told me about a Ralph Bellini that she said sounded a lot like Lester. He never married and had no children. He was considered a jokester, but when there was a fight, you'd want him on your side. He retired after the last mission. Three months later he supposedly died in a hit and run accident. She had a frown on her face and when I asked her what was wrong, she shrugged and said things just didn't add up.

The next name on the list was Lawrence Nettle. He was married with three sons but was still considered a skirt chaser. There was bad blood between him and the man who'd been killed on the mission over the dead man's wife. All three of his sons had been targeted and injured.

She went on to tell me that Dominic Martins was very jealous of his wife. To the point that he resented his own son because of the time his wife spent with the boy. Then she went on to detail the person hardest hit was Gerry Danvers.

Stephanie thought one of the men from the mission was either behind what was going on or was the reason for what was happening. For some reason they felt her dad was responsible for something and that's why she was being targeted, to get back at him. I had to admit, what she said made sense. Plus what I had learned about Martins' son being admitted to a psychiatric hospital just a few months after that final mission and that Gerry Danvers had been responsible for getting him into the hospital as well as getting the General to cover everything up.

"So is that where we are going? To see Derek Martins?"

"That's where we are going Babe. I want to see what he has to say about everything that's been going on."

"According to what I dug up, he's Val's age. He really went off the deep end after his dad died. According to the admittance papers, he tried to kill Lt. Danvers when he went to see him shortly after he came back from that last mission. Danvers stopped by to see how they were doing and Derek took an old gun of his dad's out and tried to shoot him."

"I read his file from the hospital. It doesn't look good Babe."

"Is he out?"

"He was released three months before the first incident occurred."

She shivered. I reached over and took hold of her hand. I had every intention of making sure no one got close enough to hurt her. She was my heart, and no one was going to mess with that.

_I did a review of the major players (suspects) to try and clear things up. The suit is the General's aide. The General covered up the information on Mary Martins' son. If anyone is still confused, please try to be specific and send a review. I will try to make things as clear as possible without giving away who is behind it. _

**Next update will be Monday.**


	12. Special Insight

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie is my own creation and I take full credit for her. _

_**I would like to thank **__**vaneloor for translating my English into Spanish. **__Any errors in copying what she gave me is entirely my fault. You are wonderful!_

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 12: Special Insight

Unknown POV:

I watched as Derek worked at his computer. He was incredibly sad today. I knew he was remembering. I wished there was something I could do to help him, but there was no talking to him when he was in this mood. I hoped he got over it before they got here. I wanted him to be able to tell them what they needed to know. I liked them. They were good together. Knowing I wasn't needed at the moment, I headed to the kitchen so I could make us each a sandwich. I grabbed the lunchmeat out of the fridge and put some on bread. I added mustard to Derek's and Mayo to mine. Once they were both done, I put Derek's on a plate and carried it through to him. I set it close so he would be able to reach the sandwich when he was hungry enough.

I looked up to see if he was doing better but there was no recognition. I sighed and headed back to the kitchen to eat my own sandwich. I managed to eat half of it before I heard a noise that told me Derek was finally coming out of his funk. I carefully poured a cup of coffee and carried it through to him. He smiled at me when I stopped beside him. I handed him his coffee and took the cup and set it beside the empty plate. He motioned to the computer and said, "I can't get it right for some reason."

I looked at the screen but it all looked Greek to me. "We'll have company tonight."

He looked anxious for a moment and then seemed to settle down. "Not him again is it?"

I shook my head no. "They seem nice. I like them."

"I get the feeling there's something going on. With all these pills I'm taking, it's not getting through. In a way I'm glad."

I placed my hand on his arm and he smiled down at me. "What would I do without you little one?"

I smiled, "Want to take a break?"

He grinned and stood up. He reached down for my hand and I placed my hand in his, trusting that he was okay and this time wouldn't hurt me.

Stephanie's POV:

I was surprised Ranger was letting me come along on this trip. When this had all started, I wondered if we'd taken steps backwards, but with him including me today, I knew I didn't really have to worry about that too much. I hoped we'd find something out from this trip. I was worried about my dad. I didn't like that all the other families had been left alone once the team member disappeared. I didn't want anything to happen to my dad. I was also worried whoever this was seemed to want me out of the picture too. It seemed to be because they thought I was what my dad loved most and what would hurt him the most. For some reason I thought there was more to it than that.

It was after dark when we reached the house. It was set off in a wooded area. Ranger helped me out and we made our way up to the door. I was just getting ready to knock when the door opened and I had to look down to see who had opened the door. The child was tiny and although she was no bigger than a 4 or 5 year old, she seemed a little older than that. She was a beautiful child, stunning and beautiful were words that didn't do her justice. She had beautiful hazel green eyes, a small, perfectly shaped nose and a mouth that would be sensual when she was older. Her hair was a light brown-blonde that rivaled my own mop of hair. Her hair fell to her tiny waist. She was wearing blue jeans, an emerald green t-shirt, and white sneakers. When she saw us she smiled and my breath caught at her beauty.

A voice from inside called out, "Kallie? Who's at the door?"

The child put her finger to her lips and motioned for us to follow her. I met Ranger's gaze and he seemed surprised by the child's appearance. If I didn't know better I would have said he looked like he'd seen a ghost. We followed her to the back of the house, to a room that looked to be an office. There was a man about our age sitting behind the computer. He looked up as we entered. When his eyes landed on me there was a look of total shock and his face paled. "Cassandra?"

I frowned, "No. My name is Stephanie."

The little girl came forward with a picture frame and handed it to me. She had a beautiful voice when she spoke, "This was my mother Cassandra. You look like her."

I took the picture she was handed me and the minute I saw the woman in the photo, I turned to Ranger. It was like looking in a mirror. The woman in the picture was my double. Derek nodded, "That was taken 8 years ago on our honeymoon. We went to Italy to visit her family. We spent three weeks with them."

For some strange reason I asked, "What was her maiden name?"

"Plumario. Apparently there was a son that came to America and he changed the name to better fit in. The family lost track of him at that point."

"Do you have any idea what he changed his name to?"

Derek shrugged. "No. Not really."

Kallie went over to Derek and laid a hand on his back, "You're tired. Why don't we turn in and get a good night's rest. We can talk more in the morning."

Derek smiled and gave a little nod. "Alright Bella. Perhaps you can show our guests to their room."

Kallie smiled and came over to stand in front of us. "If you come with me, I'll show you where you can sleep."

We got up and followed her through the house to a back bedroom. There was an attached bathroom. I smiled at her and she stilled, getting a faraway look in her eyes. She stayed motionless for several seconds and I worried something might be wrong. I went to touch her but got a weird feeling that I shouldn't touch her at the moment. Just as suddenly as she seemed to go away from us she was back. She turned to Ranger with a strange look in her eyes and said, "Debes llamar a los hombres felices y decirles que bailen con los lobos." _(You need to call the Merry Men and tell them to dance with the wolves.)_

Ranger's eyes narrowed dangerously and he asked, "¿cómo lo sabes?" _(How do you know this?)_

Kallie looked into Ranger's eyes and said, "Deben proteger a Stephanie." _(They need to protect Stephanie) _"My momma told me."

I could feel the goose bumps on my arms at her words. What's worse, I had no doubt in my mind Kallie was speaking the truth, even though there was no one else in the room with us. Kallie closed the door as she left us and I lost no time in getting as close to Ranger as was humanly possible.


	13. The Enemy Engages

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie is my own creation and I take full credit for her. _

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**Special Note:**_I just wanted to give everyone a heads up. I am continuing to work on this story and will keep doing so. I just wanted to let you know that the updates might not be as often as they have been. I hurt my shoulder at work back in April, and I will be going in to have surgery on it the 28th of June. Right now I can type somewhat with the injured right arm, but after surgery, this will be impossible for a while. I will type as much as I can left-handed. I appreciate in advance your understanding in the less frequent postings.

Chapter 13: The Enemy Engages

Ranger's POV:

As soon as the door closed behind us, I took Stephanie in my arms. "I've got you Babe. You're safe."

"What was it she said to you?"

I hesitated but decided to tell her the truth. "She told me I needed to call the Merry Men and tell them to dance with the wolves. When I asked how she knew, she told me they needed to protect you."

"I heard her tell you her mother told her. But, when she showed us the picture of Cassandra, she said she was her mother."

I gave a slight nod, "According to what I learned, Derek left the hospital and his prognosis looked promising. He married Cassandra and they seemed happy. Kallie was born a year after they were married. Cassandra was murdered 2 years later and Derek went off the deep end. He went back into the hospital and Kallie went to a friend of Cassandra's. Derek was released three months before all this stuff started happening."

"I don't think he's the one behind it though."

I sat on the bed and pulled her down beside me. I settled her beside me and suggested we get some sleep. I took my phone out and pressed in a speed dial number. When she frowned I explained, "I'm not taking any chances. I'm calling Tank for re-enforcements."

"Yo."

"It's time to dance with the wolves."

"We're on our way."

I wrapped my arms around Babe and settled down for some sleep.

Tank's POV:

I walked to the door of my office and barked out, "Attention! All hands on deck!"

I waited till the men were all standing there waiting for my orders.

"Rangeman just called. It's time to dance with the wolves."

At those words, men started scrambling. Within seconds Bobby, Lester, Cal, Ram, Vince, Woody and Hector were standing in front of me with their gear on their backs, waiting for their orders. I gave them Rangeman's location and stepped into my office long enough to grab my gear and we were on our way. By the time I got to the garage, Hal was finishing loading the SUV's with enough firepower to take out a third world country.

I nodded to Hal and said, "You're in command till we get back."

Hal came to attention and saluted, "Yes sir!"

Seconds later 2 SUV's were barreling down the highway towards Ranger and Stephanie. If anyone touched a hair on Stephanie's head, there would be no holding back the men I brought with me. Ranger said it was time to dance with the wolves and every one of us would be more than willing to show those bastards what hell was in store for them when that happened.

Kallie's POV:

I grabbed the tarp and made my way out to where the SUV was parked. I knew there was no way I could move the vehicle, but if I could give the illusion that there was nothing there, I knew it would give us the advantage the next morning. It took longer than I thought to create the illusion. Once I was done, I made my way back in and slipped into Derek's room. He was sitting on the side of his bed with his bottle of pills in his hands. He looked up at me and there was such sadness in his eyes.

I sat down beside him and placed my hand on top of his. He squeezed gently and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Bella. I'm not strong enough to go on. It's too hard. They're good people. They'll take care of you."

He handed me a letter with a notary seal. There was no need to ask questions. I knew what he was saying even without his saying a word. I knew he was going to make it easy for us to get away. In the end, there would be nothing they could learn from coming here. Derek had already taken the pills. By the time they got here he would be out of control, giving them the illusion he was off his meds and they would think they'd get all their answers.

I stood and wrapped my hands around him. "I love you daddy."

"I love you too little one. But I can't protect you the way you need protected. Everything is in the briefcase. Make sure you take it with you."

I did as he asked and left the room after taking one final look at the man who was my father. I hadn't known him for long, my mother was murdered when I was 2 and he went off the deep end. He had to go back to the hospital and had only come back to me a few months ago. Even then he would have left me with Sarah, but she had cancer and didn't want me to have to watch her fade away. I knew I would meet Ella soon and she would make up for everything. She would be the grandmother I'd never had. I went to my room and pulled out my bag. It was all packed with everything I needed. I set the briefcase down beside it and climbed into bed to sleep for a while before we needed to move.

I heard the soft voice of momma calling to me and telling me it was time to get up. I woke and smiled as I saw her standing there. She put a finger to her lips and whispered, "You need to go to them and help them get away from here. Daddy will give you time enough to get away. Go to the cabin. You'll meet his men on the way. It will give you a safe place to hold up. Thank you Bella for taking care of daddy. It's time for me to take care of him now."

I nodded, not saying a word. I lifted the briefcase and my bag the best I could and half carried half dragged them to where Ranger and Stephanie were sleeping. I knocked softly on the door before opening the door and walking inside. Ranger was lying on the bed with his gun in his hand. When he saw me he lowered the gun. He sat up and raised an eyebrow.

I walked forward, "Momma says we have to leave now. There's bad men coming."

He nodded, "Go get your father and we'll get going."

I shook my head, "Daddy can't come with us. He has to create a diversion to help us get away."

Ranger looked like he was going to go get daddy himself but at that moment daddy started screaming and breaking things. I went forward and took Ranger's hand. "It's the way he wants it. Come on. We have to go."

Ranger turned and woke Stephanie. He grabbed my bag and briefcase and I showed them the back way out of the house. We made our way around the side of the house and Ranger asked, "Where's my SUV?"

"Under the tarp. I had to make it look like it wasn't there."

Ranger looked at me kinda funny but said nothing. We quickly removed the tarp and got inside the SUV. Ranger started the vehicle and slowly made his way towards the road. I felt a tear fall on my cheek and whispered, "Goodbye daddy." I looked back to the house and saw a man come out with a rifle aiming in our direction. I told Ranger, "He's seen us. We have to move now!"

Ranger floored the gas pedal and we shot out of there in seconds heading towards the road. The men were coming from the house, scrambling for their vehicles. They would be on us in no time.


	14. Information From Beyond

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie is my own creation and I take full credit for her. _

_**I would like to thank **__**vaneloor for translating my English into Spanish. **__Any errors in copying what she gave me are entirely my fault. You are wonderful!_

_**For the Italian translation I had to use google. **__If there are any errors, I take full credit for them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 14: Information From Beyond

Stephanie's POV:

I wanted to reach in the back and pull Kallie into my arms. Tears were streaming down her little cheeks but she was working hard to keep her face blank. We were moving away from Derek's house at rocket speed and I was thankful Ranger was such a great driver. No way could I maintain the speed in which he was going. His blank face was firmly in residence. We'd been traveling maybe 20 minutes when I noticed two; black SUV's coming in our direction. Ranger brought our vehicle to a screeching halt and the other two vehicles came to a stop as well.

Kallie spoke up from the back, "Take the right. There's a cabin 200 yards farther in. We can hold up there."

Ranger powered his window down and motioned the other two vehicles. I saw Tank was driving the first of the other two SUV's and he gave a miniscule nod. Ranger backed up a little and took the right. In no time the other two vehicles were behind us and we were fast approaching a cabin. We pulled to a stop in front of the cabin and Ranger got out. I turned to check on Kallie. She wiped her face on her little t-shirt and looked carefully around. She opened her door and looked down at the ground, biting her lip when she noticed the drop. I opened my own door and slid out and walked around to her. I held my arms out offering to help her down.

She looked at me for several minutes before holding her arms out to me so I could lift her down. She was so tiny and as much as I'm not much of a kid person, she felt right in my arms. I wrapped my arm around her tiny waist and she wrapped her legs around my waist. I walked over to where Ranger and the guys were standing, fanned out facing the way we came in.

Ranger turned to me when I joined him and said, "I want you and Kallie to go into the cabin Babe."

Kallie leaned in to speak in my ear, "I need them to listen to me."

I turned to her and bit my lip. I nodded, "Ranger, Kallie wants to tell you guys something."

Ranger stepped closer and softly asked, "Que paso angelito?" _(What is it little angel?)_

Kallie put her right hand on my shoulder to make it easier to swing around and pointed to a spot about 200 yards up, "Ram needs to be up there." She pointed to another spot about 300 yards away from the first and said, "Woody needs to go there." Her arm moved to point to what looked to be a cave to the right of the cabin, "Vince and Cal need to hold up there." Next she pointed to a lean to on the left, "Bobby and Lester should go there. There's plenty of shadow so no one would see them unless they knew they were there." Then she looked at Ranger. "Tank and Hector can help in the cabin. There are three good windows that you can cover everything from."

Ranger raised an eyebrow, "I don't recall introducing the guys."

Kallie rolled her eyes but didn't say anything else. Finally, Ranger shook his head and turned to the guys, "You heard her. Take your positions."

I thought I heard one of the guys mutter, "I never thought I'd see the day the boss lost it enough to take orders from a little girl."

I couldn't help but smile at the look on Ranger's face as he growled, "Want to say that louder?"

Vince paled but remained silent. The guys went and took their positions without another comment. Ranger wrapped his arms around my waist and led us into the cabin. Kallie laid her head on my shoulder. For some reason, it felt so right. We headed inside the cabin and Hector went to the left and found a vantage point to watch, Tank going to the right and taking up his spot. Ranger led Kallie and I to a back room and told me to go ahead and rest. I nodded and kissed him telling him to be safe. Once he headed back to the front of the cabin, I sat down on the bed and set Kallie down beside me.

She was out in no time and I let myself relax enough to sleep as well.

Kallie's POV:

I heard the voice calling me once again from sleep, telling me it was time once again to wake up. I opened my eyes and smiled at the two of them standing there together happy again. Derek turned to me and there was sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry Bella. I tried, but the voices were just too much. I'm not as strong as you are."

Momma reached out and took his hand, "You're safe with me now love. Kallie understands."

He turned to momma and gave her such a beautiful smile before turning back to me. "I was able to pick up quite a bit from them when they were trying to get me to talk. The man behind everything is Ralph Bellini."

I frowned, "The man that's been coming to see you since you came home?"

"Yes. He's not a doctor like we thought. He's the man who killed my father. He's the Judas among them."

"That's why you always get so upset by his visits."

"Yes. Subconsciously I must have picked up on his agenda."

"Why is he doing all this?"

"His final mission was to take out every member of the team. He made dad's death look like an accident. Lt. Danvers got suspicious and he wasn't able to finish his mission. When they came home, he faked his own death so he could continue with planning out how to complete his final mission. He's taken out the others. They're all dead. Frank Plum is the last man standing from that mission. Once he's dead, his mission will be complete."

"Why does he want to kill Stephanie?"

He looked sadly at momma. Momma smiled and I felt her surrounding me, "It's not Stephanie he wants to kill. He thinks she's me. He thinks he failed when he caused my accident five years ago. See, he knew as long as I was living, he couldn't get to your father. Derek would have known exactly what he was up to when he started all this. He needed him off balance and so he took me out. When he started going after Frank Plum and saw Stephanie, he thought somehow I had survived and was hiding as his Frank's daughter."

"How close are they?"

Derek smiled, "I was able to keep them engaged for several minutes before Ralph shot me in the head. Right now they are still searching, because even though two cars came after you, with Ranger's driving they couldn't keep up. I'd say you have another 30 minutes before they get here."

I nodded. It was time to get up and get ready. I slipped off the bed and momma knelt in front of me. She smiled and looked over to where Stephanie was still sleeping. "Already she feels like you are part of her. It will be alright bella angioletto. _(beautiful little angel) _We will always be with you. Any time you need us we will be right here." She placed her hand on my heart.

I wasn't aware there were tears on my cheek. I turned around when Stephanie made a sound. Her eyes were open and she was looking at me with a smile. The smile quickly left her face and she gave me a concerned look. "What's the matter Kallie?"

I went over and she lifted me up beside her on the bed and then wrapped me in her arms. "Momma and daddy were just telling me goodbye."

"Oh honey, I'll always be here for you."

I felt her love surrounding me.


	15. Dancing With Wolves

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie is my own creation and I take full credit for her. _

___**I would like to thank **__**vaneloor for translating my English into Spanish. **__Any errors in copying what she gave me is entirely my fault. You are wonderful!_

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 15: Dancing With Wolves

Ranger's POV:

I heard movement in the back room and guessed Babe and Kallie were awake again. I glanced back and saw them coming out of the back room. Kallie had such a sad, serious look on her face. I raised an eyebrow and thought I saw a ghost of a smile on her face. They'd been asleep maybe half an hour. Kallie stepped forward and suddenly stopped and her eyes lost focus. For several seconds she didn't move and then suddenly as if nothing had happened she continued to walk forward.

"They're coming. They killed Derek a few minutes ago and have joined the search. They'll soon find the road and be here."

I tried getting them to go back in the back, "You two go back to the bedroom. You're better protected back there."

Kallie shook her head. "The wolves are coming. Ralph Bellini shot my daddy between his eyes Ranger. He laughed as he did it."

"How do you know that Kallie?" I asked.

She looked at me with a haunted look, "I saw him."

I felt Tank and Hector's eyes move to the girl before returning to the window where they were keeping watch. My gaze narrowed on her and as I studied her, I noticed that her tiny chin was quivering slightly. I knelt in front of her and held my hands out letting her know I was willing to hold her. She flew into my arms and the sobs that shook her little body made me want to do physical harm to the man who'd caused her pain. Babe came forward and I wrapped an arm around her too. We held Kallie between us till the sobs stopped.

When she finally had control again she looked up with tear-filled eyes and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cry like that."

I kissed the top of her head and told her, "Everyone's entitled to a bad day Mijita." _(daddy's girl)_ I don't know anyone who could watch their father die and not be affected."

Just then Tank spoke up, "They're here Rangeman."

I kissed Babe on the forehead and said, "I want you both to get back and get down."

Kallie looked at me with her serious eyes and said, "Its okay Ranger. They won't get near Stephanie. Ram and Woody will take out the first vehicle. Bobby and Lester will take the second and Cal and Vince will take out the third. Hector, you and Tank will have the four main guys."

At that moment we heard gunfire. I went back to my space beside the front door and took aim. Over the next several minutes I watched as everything Kallie said came to be. When the last four headed for the cabin, Tank took out the guy on the one side and Hector took out the guy on the other side. That left the two jokers headed my way. Two quick shots and everything was over before it even got started.

I turned and told Babe to stay in the cabin, pointedly glancing at Kallie. She nodded and the rest of us headed out to see if anyone was alive enough to give us any information. After finding a couple still alive to answer our questions, we moved the dead to the lean to and started a fire. Bobby patched the guys enough for us to ask them questions. Neither one of them was giving anything up. We were about ready to give it up when I caught a glimpse of Babe out of the corner of my eye. I could see Kallie beside her. I quickly moved to intercept them.

Kallie looked up at me; her eyes told me she'd already seen them as well as the others. I knelt in front of her. "You have something to tell me?"

"Ralph Bellini is the one behind it all. He's the one that killed Derek. He's not here though. My guess is he's headed back to Trenton to try and get to Stephanie's dad. He's always been jealous of him."

"Why is that?"

She looked up at Babe and then back to me. "He saw the picture Mr. Plum kept with him all the time of his wife. He fell in love with her." Kallie turned to Stephanie, "That's why he wants to kill you. Partly because he thinks you are Cassandra and the one person able to keep Derek on the right path, and partly because your father was living the life he wanted, married to your mom. He also knows how close you and your dad are. He knows it will hurt him more if he kills you."

I pulled out my phone and Hal picked up on the other end. I relayed the information that Ralph Bellini was the suspected one behind everything and not to let the Plum's leave before we got back. Hal told me they were still up in my apartment and Val and her family were safe as well. I hung up and held my hands out to Babe and Kallie. "You two ready to head back?"

Babe took one hand and Kallie took the other and we made our way to the SUV. The rest of the guys got in the other two SUV's with Hector being the last one in as he took care of the two men left alive from the initial attack. In no time we had reached the outskirts of Trenton.

We were fifteen minutes from Rangeman when Kallie suddenly spoke up saying, "He's setting up an ambush. There are charges set on vehicles around Rangeman. He knows he can't get in, but he figures we'll get back in 10 minutes and then he'll blow the cars to cause enough confusion that they'll evacuate your building. He's setting up on a roof nearby to pick off everyone he wants taken out. You have to get your men out of the building…_Now_!"

Stephanie and I both said, "Shit!"


	16. The Past Comes Back

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie is my own creation and I take full credit for her. _

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**Note: **__This is the last chapter I will post before I have surgery. I will post again as soon as I'm able to._

Chapter 16: The Past Comes Back

Stephanie's POV:

Ranger pulled out his cell and called the control room. He talked to Hal and told him to get everyone out of the building and to scramble. He told him to put Scramble Alpha in motion. By this time we were at the side of the road and Tank and Cal had pulled their vehicles in behind ours. Ranger got out and went back to talk to the guys. I turned around to look at Kallie and saw her eyes seemed to be out of focus. After several seconds she turned to me and said, "Don't worry Stephanie. Your family is going to be okay. Everyone got out of the building before he could get anything set off."

I reached in the back and took her little hand in mine. "Are you okay Kallie? You've been through quite a bit in the past few hours."

She nodded. "Daddy sent some papers in the briefcase. He said you and Ranger would need them."

I nodded, "Should I take a look at them?"

She lifted the briefcase and handed it to me. I opened the briefcase and was stunned by what I found inside. I turned back to her. "Do you know what's in here?"

"Yes."

"How do you feel about it?"

She looked at me with such serious eyes, "I'm willing if you guys are. But if its not something you want to do then I'll understand."

I looked down at the papers and then looked back at her. "I never thought of myself as mother material because I couldn't picture myself with a baby. But when I held you in my arms…it seemed right. I think I'd like to give it a try if you are willing to take a chance on me."

Her face lit up with the most beautiful smile I'd ever seen. She put Ranger's 2000 watt smile in the shade. "I'd like that. I think you'd be a fun mom. You'd let me be me."

I got a funny feeling when she said that, and hoped I would never hold her back from anything she wanted to try. About that time Ranger opened the driver's door and climbed back into the driver's seat. I turned and asked, "Now what?"

"Everyone's scrambling. We'll meet them at a safe house nearby."

I nodded and he started us moving. In no time we were pulling up to the safe house in Point Pleasant. There were a number of black SUV's already parked around the house. I opened my door and saw where my parents and grandmother were standing by my sister and her family. I was relieved to see everyone was safe. Ranger opened the back door and lifted Kallie out. They came around to join me and I leaned my shoulder on Ranger's shoulder as he wrapped his arm around me.

Ranger barked out orders and the men moved to obey. Zip, Zero, Binkie, Junior, and Hal were sent out to recon. The rest of us made our way into the safe house.

Frank Plum's POV:

Ralph Bellini. That was the man trying to take out my daughter. I had always known he felt something for Helen. I just didn't realize how deep his feelings had gone. Helen and I had the guys over several times when we'd first gotten married. I never thought twice about including them in my civilian life. Now in hindsight, I had to question ever allowing them anywhere near my family.

Something about this didn't add up though. I got why Ralph was out to get me, but why did he want to take out Stephanie? What did he have against the rest of the guys in the unit? I listened as Ranger planned out what he wanted everyone doing. It was a good plan. So why was my gut screaming? I looked over at Helen and suddenly a light went off and I knew why this seemed to easy.

I stood and looked at the men I'd come to trust with what was most dear to me, "It's too easy. I can see what you're saying about Ralph, about his feelings for Helen. It makes me wish I'd never let those guys near my family. As much as I can see Ralph coming after me, I can't see him going after the rest of the team."

Kallie's POV:

I was sitting on Stephanie's lap watching her father talk about Ralph Bellini. He was the man who killed both my parents. I knew he was the one trying to kill Stephanie and it was his men who'd come after us at the cabin. As I listened to what Mr. Plum said, I got a feeling like I was drifting. Suddenly I was seeing five men on a mission. One of the men was Mr. Plum. He was 15 years younger than what he looked today. I watched as Gerry Danvers shot Dominic Martins in the back. By the time the other three had joined them at their camp, Gerry made it look like a sniper had gotten Dominic. The look Gerry gave Ralph was one I couldn't place. I put my hand on Steph's shoulder and felt her hand on my back. Suddenly my eyes focused and I said, "Your dad's right. There's more than one killer."

Stephanie motioned to Ranger and he came over to sit down beside us. Ranger's gaze met mine, "What is it mijita?"

"There's more than one killer. Gerry Danvers shot Dominic Martins in the back and made it look like a sniper got him."

I could feel eyes on me and turned to face Stephanie's father. His eyes were wide as if he finally had the last piece of a puzzle. He nodded, "That's what my dreams have been trying to tell me for years. The look on Dom's face was like he'd been betrayed by a brother. He had been, I just didn't see the connection till now. That's why the guy outside your office building said it was the worst betrayal. Because my brother is the one trying to take me and my daughter out. But why do they want Stephanie?"

I slipped down to the floor and made my way over to my bag. I took out a picture and took it over and handed it to him. "This is my mother. Her name was Cassandra. She married Dominic Martins' son Derek 8 years ago. When I was 2, Ralph Bellini murdered her to send Derek back to the hospital. When he saw Stephanie, he thought she was my mother. When he found out she was your daughter, he figured he could kill her to drive Derek insane again and get back at you for having the life he wanted."

Stephanie said, "So, instead of one killer, we now have two to catch. Ralph Bellini and Gerry Danvers. But why did he kill Dominic?"

I felt my eyes lose focus. "No one was supposed to survive the mission. Ralph Bellini played a dual role in all your missions. He was the unseen handler. Dominic Martins was the man he chose to complete the mission. Dom couldn't betray his brothers like that. He told Gerry what he'd been asked to do and Gerry told him not to worry about it, he'd make sure to warn everyone. Once he warned you, everyone went in different directions to find a way out and that's when he decided to kill Dom and make it look like a sniper did it. Ralph had no choice but to follow your orders when you made the choice of where to go."

I shivered. I made my way over to where Stephanie and Ranger were and Ranger lifted me onto his lap. Suddenly I felt warm and safe. There was more, but I needed to rest before digging any deeper. I leaned back against Ranger and let sleep claim me. I had time for a short nap before I'd have to let myself open to the darkness.

_Okay, we are drawing to the close of this part of the story, just a few chapters to go. Are there any issues that still aren't clear? If so, please let me know about it in a review. There is a whole other part to the story so it is far from over. My surgery is tomorrow morning and I should get to come home on Friday. I can't take any pain medicine because of allergies and there isn't a pain medicine that I can tolerate other than Tylenol arthritis. That definitely doesn't cut it as far as pain. I will work on the story as pain allows and I will finish this story. Thank you all for your well wishes and your patience. _


	17. The Worst Betrayal Recognized

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie is my own creation and I take full credit for her. _

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**Thank you to all of you for your well wishes and prayers in regards to my surgery. I greatly appreciate all of you. I have used the time I've been away to plan out this chapter and hope you all enjoy.**_

Chapter 17: The Worst Betrayal Recognized

Kallie's POV:

I felt the gentle hand on my shoulder telling me it was time to wake up. I sat up and saw I was in a bedroom. I slipped out of bed and made my way to the door. I heard the voices and followed them, finding myself back in the great room. My eyes found Stephanie right away and I padded over. Ranger was beside her with his arms wrapped around her. Stephanie's eyes were closed and Ranger looked at her with so much emotion, I felt like I was spying on them. Ranger sent me a smile as I neared and I made my way over and climbed up in his lap. He wrapped one arm around me while holding Steph with the other.

"So did you finally wake up?"

I nodded and laid my head on his shoulder. "Did they find all the cars?"

"They found 7 in all that had bombs strapped to them. They were placed strategically around the building. If they'd all gone off they would have brought the building down."

"Ralph doesn't have the skills to place the bombs. Only Danvers would have known how to place them to topple the building. In taking out the building, he would have taken out Bellini too. This was Danvers way of paying Ralph back for taking Mary's son from her."

"So Bellini didn't do the bombs?"

"No. But everyone would have thought he did. You would have figured it out eventually but you would have been distracted helping Stephanie deal with her grief."

"So what do you think our next move should be?"

"I think you should go after the man who was behind it all."

Ranger's eyes narrowed as he looked at me. I knew he'd come up with the answers. It was what he'd been feeling ever since he told the General that he wouldn't be renewing his contract. I could see the exact moment that understanding dawned.

"You think the General is behind it all. The same General who was responsible for sending me on my missions. You think this is his way of expediting anyone who ends their contract."

I nodded. Ranger's eyes went over my head. I turned to see Tank standing there. For some reason I wasn't afraid when I saw the pissed off look on his face. I knew it wasn't directed at me.

Ranger's POV:

Kallie made sense. Its what I'd known for months. My last mission nearly cost all of us our lives. I'd heard stories from the rest of the guys on their last missions as well. I knew from the look on Tank's face that he was up to speed on the subject. Now the only question is what we were going to do about it. We sat down at the table and the talking started. When we got done we had a plan. My gaze went to Kallie. I felt a smile escape as I saw her sitting on Babe's lap.

I stood and looked around at the men. "Okay. We have a plan and it's time to put it in motion." With that I took out my phone and punched in a number.

It didn't take long for the phone to be answered, "Hello?"

"General. Ranger here. I need your help with a situation."

"Of course Ranger. Anything I can do to help."

I explained the situation regarding Babe's dad and that someone was after her. I gave the General a location and a time to meet. When I hung up the phone I smiled and looked to the others. "Okay. Its time to thread the trap."

_Sorry for the long delay. I will update as soon as possible._


	18. The Worst Betrayal Avenged

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie is my own creation and I take full credit for her. _

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 18: The Worst Betrayal Avenged

Ranger's POV:

Everyone was in place. We'd placed the animated dummies to make them think we were all inside. The plan was for Babe and her mom and grandma to stay behind. Babe had other ideas. She was convinced she needed to be here. I tried using the 'you need to stay here with Kallie' ticket but Kallie blew that out of the water when she said, "You know I need to come with."

Of course if Kallie was going then the others thought they should be there too. So here we were waiting to spring the trap. I watched silently as The General's vehicle moved closer. When he made the mark I was getting ready to radio the men it was a go when Stephanie put a hand on my arm. I looked over to her and she was frowning. She turned to look at me and said, "Something's wrong. I can feel it."

Kallie came closer and put her hand on Babe's leg. We waited. After several minutes the General got out of the vehicle and called out to the cabin. Hector started the tape going with my telling the General to throw down his weapons. He did, and then stepped forward. After a second he stopped and seemed to be talking to someone in the car. My phone buzzed and I answered it, "Yo?"

It was Hector telling me the General was telling someone in the car to make sure he waited for him to come back out before he blew up the place. He got a positive response. Hector asked if I wanted the cabin blown up and I responded with a yes. I ended the call and Hector blew the cabin just before the General got too close. He hit the dirt and once the explosion was over he went back to his SUV and yanked the back door open and pulled someone from the back. They were really starting to go at it till three other vehicles joined the party.

All three bad guys were within my sights, as well as some really bad characters. There before us were the men responsible for every Fuber mission over the past five years. I looked over to Babe, "You still getting that feeling?"

"No. Its time."

I looked at Kallie and she smiled, "You going to bust their balls now?"

I smiled at her and said we were going to give it our best shot. I spoke into my wire, "Okay men, let's lock and lode."

We were up and moving and in no time we'd taken down the enemy. For an old guy, Stephanie's dad had some pretty interesting moves as he took on the General. I was a little disappointed not to be able to take him out, but Frank got first dibs on him for what he planned for his crew. There were enough of the others to go around. Once we had them all rounded up and rendered harmless, the women and Kallie joined us. I watched as Stephanie walked right up to Bellini and asked, "You still want to take me out?"

Bellini sneered, "It will be my pleasure."

Bellini's expression turned to pain and then panic as Babe used her lethal knee on his most prized body part. She was on a roll saying, "You are worse than slime. What were you planning for the little girl you sack of shit? And don't you dare answer that or I'll knee you again." As she thought about it she kneed him again anyway. Once he was writhing on the ground in pain she walked away, lifting Kallie and making her way to our car.

Helen Plum walked over to Bellini and smiled. I watched as my men shivered at that smile. It was like looking at Stephanie at her most pissed. "You wanted to take my husband and daughter from me did you?"

Bellini struggled to get up. I knew my men were thinking the same thing I was. This idiot should stay down. Bellini held out a hand to Helen, "I've always loved you."

Helen took his hand and smiled a smile that had us all shivering in our boots. She stepped closer and took a page out of Steph's book and kneed him in the groin three times as hard as she could before pushing him away. He fell to the ground. "You're not worthy of the dirt my husband walks on." With that she turned and followed in the direction Stephanie went.

Edna Mazur walked over and put her hand on Bellini's package. She worked her dentures before saying, "Dang. They went and broke you before I could even get a decent feel." Then she smiled that scary smile of hers and said, "The boys sure will love you in prison. That is if you get there. See, my daddy was a Hungarian gypsy. The called him halál Stalker. _(death stalker)_ You know why they called him that? Because everyone who hurt his family ended up dead. Even after his death. It's rumored he can come and go as he pleases."

Something about the look on her face told me she was totally serious in what she told him. Bellini struggled to his feet and lunged at Mrs. Mazur. Suddenly a streak of lightening came out of the sky and struck Bellini where he stood. The man was fried to a crisp. We all took a step back and the stream of lightening went to Danvers and then he General. In seconds they were toast as well. The rest of the group was crying for leniency so we rounded them up and got our women and headed back for Trenton.

Once we were back at Rangeman, Mrs. Mazur came up to me and patted my cheek. She smiled and there was a twinkle in her eye, "Guess I pulled that off with some pizazz wouldn't you say?"

I grinned, "That you did Mrs. Mazur. No one could have done it better. Between what you said and Hector's fancy work with the electricity you had them all scared to death."

"Well you guys acting all nervous sure did help. Normally I wouldn't want to see anyone hurt like that, but those bastards targeted my family. All bets were off."

Stephanie came over a hugged her grandma. Shortly after Frank, Helen and Edna left to go to their apartment on the fourth floor. Tomorrow everyone would start rebuilding their lives. Babe and I took Kallie to the guest room to get her settled. She took our hands in hers and got a far- away look on her face. After a couple moments she was back with us and said, "The other man's body is in the General's basement. His family needs to know so they can morn him."

"I'll make sure he's found. Time for you to rest now Mijita."

Kallie looked up at me, "Am I? Am I your daughter now?"

I turned to Babe and lifted an eyebrow. She nodded. I turned back to Kallie, "Yes Baby. You are our daughter now."

"Can Julie come stay with us sometimes too?"

Babe put her hand on my shoulder and caressed Kallie's cheek. "We'd love for Julie to be part of our family too. It's up to her mom how much time we'll get together though."

Kallie frowned, "She needs Ranger now. She has bad dreams and doesn't know how to deal with them. It will help her to spend time here too. But we have to include the other children so they don't feel left out."

I smiled, "Okay Mijita, we'll include the others. Sleep now. There will be time to plan in the morning."

Babe and I walked out of the guest room and made our way to the master bedroom. I pulled her into my arms and kissed her gently on the mouth. "Should we make this legal Babe?"

She smiled and kissed the spot between my neck and shoulder, "You mean get married and adopt Kallie?"

I put a little more passion into the kiss and said, "Yeah."

She kissed me back and our passion went up several notches. "I love you Ranger. Marriage doesn't freak me out when I think about you being my husband."

I upped the passion even more as I kissed her again and said, "I find myself willing to do marriage, children, and relationships; but only with you as my wife."

Babe leaned back, "Is that a proposal?"

"Yes."

She smiled, "Then I accept."

Our mouths fused, our tongues dueled and we spent the night celebrating our engagement.


	19. A Visit To Miami

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie is my own creation and I take full credit for her. _

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 19: A Visit To Miami

Stephanie's POV:

Ranger and I decided to take the next two weeks and spend them with Julie in Miami. Ranger called Rachel and arranged to spend time with her as well as setting up a couple outings with the whole family. When I stopped by the bonds office with Kallie, Lula took one look at her and adopted her as her very own niece. Lula declared that if we were going to Disney World, we needed a new wardrobe. That's how we came to be at Quaker Bridge Mall. We spent a couple hours shopping and when we were done, both Kallie and I had the perfect wardrobe according to Lula.

Our last act before our vacation was to start was dinner at my parent's house. We had a great meal amid the chaos of Val and the girls, Albert, grandma, and my parents. Kallie got on great with Val's girls and everyone was pleased with Kallie's addition to the family. My dad had lots of questions about Kallie's mom and she answered them as best she could. When everything was said, daddy agreed to let Ranger check into things and possibly arrange a meeting with the family.

We got a good night's sleep and Tank drove us to the airport. The flight was uneventful and we were picked up by Mateo, Ranger's counterpart in Miami. When he pulled up in front of the beach house where we would be spending the next two weeks, I was stunned by the beauty of the house. We headed inside and got settled in.

The next morning, Kallie and I stayed at the beach house while Ranger went to pick up Julie. She was going to spend a quiet day with the three of us so we could all get to know each other. The housekeeper Lottie was fixing lunch so when Julie got here we could all eat.

Ranger's POV:

I could see how nervous Rachel was when I arrived to pick up Julie. I sensed she wanted to tell me something but Julie was excited to get started. I quietly told Rachel, "It will be okay. I'll take care of her."

She nodded.

I helped Julie into her seat before getting behind the wheel. As we got started, I told Julie about Kallie. I tried to judge by her expression how she was taking that news, but she had a better blank face than my own. No wonder Steph got frustrated when I wore my blank face. I tried to assure Julie that my feelings for her were the same and I intended her to be a big part of my life if she was willing. I told Julie a little about what we'd all been through. She seemed quiet. I was frustrated with not being able to get a handle on her feelings. When we finally pulled up to the house I gave a deep sigh.

We got out of the car and made our way into the house. I was heading to the deck with Julie, which is where we were planning on eating. All of a sudden a little whirlwind came from the bedrooms yelling, "Julie! Julie! Julie! You're finally here!"

Kallie came to a stop in front of Julie and just looked at her. Julie's eyes opened wide. "Kallie?"

Kallie grinned and nodded. "Did daddy Ranger tell you about everything?"

"Yes. But I didn't expect you. I never knew you were real."

"Will you mind sharing your daddy with me?"

Julie grinned, "Not at all little sister."

Kallie reached out and took Julie's hand and they ran in the direction of the back deck/patio.

Julie's POV:

I was excited at the prospect of having Ranger in my life full time. When I learned about Kallie I wondered if she had replaced me already in his life. The moment I saw her I was stunned. How is it my imaginary little sister was no longer imaginary but very much alive. Kallie had already helped me enormously in the few months I'd been imagining her. But seeing her like this before me, I knew everything was going to be okay.

Stephanie's POV:

We had a great lunch. I couldn't believe how quickly Julie and Kallie had become fast friends. Even though 5 years separated them in age, they seemed very close. Julie spent the night and everything was going great. It was nearly three a.m. when the screams woke us. In seconds we were in the girl's room and Ranger had Julie in his arms. Kallie scrambled out of her bed and climbed up beside Ranger and Julie. She wrapped her little arms around Julie and said, "The bad guy isn't dead. He left a piece of himself that will grow and try to hurt her."

_Sorry the updates aren't as quick as I'd like them to be. Although the surgery went well, I have to use the left arm a lot more for everything and its starting to hurt more. I will try for 1 update a week. Hopefully as time goes that will increase. _

_I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed, sent private message, and sent well wishes regarding my surgery and the healing process. You are all wonderful _


	20. A Wedding And A Honeymoon

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie is my own creation and I take full credit for her. _

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 20: A Wedding & Honeymoon

Stephanie's POV:

For the first time in my life, the thought of getting married didn't freak me out. But then I was marrying Batman and I knew this was right for me. I loved Ranger with every fiber of my being. The three of us had spent a month in Miami letting the girls get to know one another. It was like they already knew each other. Julie had some pretty intense nightmares during that time. Every time we went in to comfort her, Kallie was there lying beside her telling her she would keep her safe. Over time the dreams lessened in frequency.

We did a few day trips with the two girls, and we also did a week at Disney World with Ron, Rachel and the other two children. Kallie was right when she said we needed to make sure the other two didn't feel left out. When it was time for us to say goodbye, both the children hugged Ranger's legs and told him thank you for all the nice things he'd done and for not taking Julie away from them. Ranger knelt down and told them that although he would sometimes have Julie stay with us, he would never cut them out of her life.

When we left, Julie asked if she'd get to come to the wedding. Ranger told her he had already asked Ron and Rachel to bring the whole family to Trenton and spend the whole week before there so she could be a part of everything. So three weeks later the Martine family flew into Newark. We collected them and took them to the Rangeman safe house in Trenton. Julie went with Kallie and I to get dresses and to the bridal shower my family gave us. The three of us went shopping with Lula and the girls even went with me to pick up Mooner to take him down to the police station.

While we were down at the station we ran into Morelli. When he saw Julie and Kallie were with me he gave us a funny look. I stopped to talk to him for a few minutes, and noticed Kallie had a far-away look on her face. Once her eyes seemed to focus again, I said goodbye and we left. Once we got out to the car I asked her what was going on. She smiled and said the man we were talking to was going to marry the pretty brunette at the desk at the station. I grinned thinking Joe and Robyn Russell would make a great pair. Kallie giggled and I asked what was so funny. She grinned and said he wasn't very happy about the neighbor boy taking his little princess into the shed and playing a train game. It was all I could do not to laugh out loud.

Our wedding day was perfect. The girls and I got into our dresses and my daddy escorted us to the gardens where the ceremony was to take place. The weather was perfect and everyone was perfect. Daddy walked me down the aisle where Ranger and I exchanged our vows. The minister pronounced us man and wife and introduced us to the world as Mr. and Mrs. Ricardo Carlos Manoso. We rode to the reception in a limo and after dinner and cake, we said our goodbyes and Ranger, Julie, Kallie and I left for four weeks in Europe. We had the time of our lives. Our last stop before returning home was in Italy. We were going to see Cassandra's family and letting them know we had adopted Kallie with Derek and Cassandra's blessings. I was going to see if this was the Italian side of my family.

When we arrived there, Cassandra's parents were stunned to see us. They couldn't believe the likeness between me and their daughter. We found out that they were in fact part of my family. The son that left to go to America was in fact a great grandfather of mine. We had a wonderful time getting to know them. Although Cassandra's parents wanted Kallie to stay with them, they came to understand that Kallie needed us as much as we needed her. It was Kallie herself that convinced them.

On our last night there she woke up from a nightmare and Cassandra's parents were the first ones to reach her. They tried to comfort her but she wouldn't settle. She was nearly hysterical before we reached her. Ranger ignored them all as he went straight for our baby and took her in his arms. He spoke gently to her in Spanish and she instantly settled. Kallie clung to him and told him the monster was coming. Ranger held her and told her he would always be there to fight the monsters. Cassandra's parents looked at us and said they understood us having Kallie and they were fine with it. We told them they could visit whenever they wanted and we would return so Kallie could know them too.

Things were finally looking up.

Unknown POV:

I looked at the picture in the paper again. The girl was beautiful, a female version of her father. His heart beat faster every time he looked at her. She had been promised to him and he knew one day he would claim her. He just needed to bide his time. He wasn't ready yet…but someday. Then she would be his. He had lots of time to plan how he would claim her. Everything had to be perfect. He smiled thinking about claiming her. He looked up and caught himself in the mirror. His eyes lit up thinking about her. He wasn't aware of the looks of fear he instilled in those around him.

_Get ready for a time jump. The next chapter takes place 11 years in the future. That would mean Julie will be 23 and Kallie will be 18. When I originally had the idea for the story, what comes next was the story. The problem came in that I couldn't figure out how to start the story. So, I did what I always do when that happens…I started writing and decided what I came up with would work perfectly. _

_I want to thank everyone who has sent a review or personal message. Thank you all for your wonderful words. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story._


	21. Years Pass By

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie is my own creation and I take full credit for her. Guess who else is coming into the Rangeman fold._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 21: Years Pass By

Stephanie's POV:

As I sat at my desk waiting for the search I was waiting on to come up with the information I needed, I worked on the list of all the things Ranger and I would need to take with us to Miami. Julie and Kallie were both graduating from Florida International University in two weeks' time and Ranger and I were going down to spend the next two weeks with our girls. Although Julie was now 23 and Kallie had just turned 18, they were both leaving University with Master's degrees. Both girls were super smart and Julie had managed to complete 3 different Masters Programs in the five years she'd been at University. Kallie was something of a genius. By the time she was 14 she'd made it through high school and the local colleges. She'd come to us four years ago and pleaded with us to let her go to the same school Julie was attending. We talked with Julie and found out that Kallie had already asked her permission to attend the same school. She didn't want to cramp her sister's style by always being around if Julie wanted more freedom. Of course Julie promised to watch out for her little sister and after Ranger had made arrangements for both girls to be monitored by Rangeman Miami, we gave our okay.

Kallie had managed to not only get 3 Master's Degrees, but she also had a PhD. The girls came to Trenton at every break and we spent quality family time. It was hard letting my baby go so far away, but knowing Julie was there with her made it slightly easier. Plus, anytime I missed her too much, Ranger would surprise me with a long weekend in Miami. It also helped that Kallie knew how I was feeling and would often call when I started missing her too bad. She'd know just what to say to help me get through the rough days. After so many years of fighting against marriage to Joe and having a family, I found marriage with the right man and the family of our choice was exactly what I wanted.

I glanced at my computer to check on my search before looking again at the list in front of me. The only reason I was down here today instead of on seven going through the bags that we had packed, was because today we were getting three transfers from Boston. Drago, Ranger's counterpart in Boston had hired three young men in their mid to late 20's. Although the guys had all the skills and had great potential, there had been a few problems. Drago had asked Ranger if he'd let the three transfer here and work with the core team to iron out the kinks…or rather attitudes.

I knew that Ranger was going to put the three on as my bodyguards. We had talked and after rolling my eyes I had to admit that Ranger's reasoning was sound. If they could survive Babe detail, they could survive anything. After all, Ranger said his guys had nothing on me if I was determined to get away from them. Just last week Gray, an ex-navy seal Ranger had hired three months ago, was charged with Babe detail and he tried to stop me from leaving the building. We argued and after several minutes of getting nowhere, I threw my hands in the air and turned away. When I turned back around Gray was standing there grinning ear to ear at getting me to back down. I gave him a wry smile and watched as his eyes widened with stunned surprise before he slumped to the ground when I stunned him.

When I got down to the garage, Lester was just pulling in and when I got in the Cayenne, he jumped in the passenger seat. I gave him my best Burg glare and he just smiled and folded his arms over his chest. I sighed before starting the vehicle and pulling out of the garage heading to the store so I could get the Tastykakes I had been after before Gray tried to stop me. When we returned to the 5th floor after I had my desired treat, a more subdued Gray was coming out of Ranger's office. When he saw me he blushed. He stopped in front of me and told me he would never under-estimate me again. Then he shook his head and told me he had been so sure I would never get the upper hand on him and that he was sure he'd never live it down. I smiled and told him to ask Hal how he dealt with it when I stunned him. Gray's eyes grew wide and his gaze went to where Hal was sitting at his cubicle. He just shook his head and walked away.

Although I didn't always need bodyguards, Ranger insisted it was the best way of training his men. He said if the men could survive Babe detail they could survive anything. When I glared at him he just smiled and said I was the best training his men could get. My computer finally let me know my search was complete at the same moment that the doors opened and three young men walked off the elevator. I stood to get a good look at the three men walking towards Ranger's office and my eyes widened. I swear, I couldn't find anywhere in the handbook where it said the guys had to be good looking and built, but the three new men were definitely HOT! I sat down and lifted a folder to fan myself. The last had been the hottest. My spidey senses were on high alert. Looked like I was going to have to warn Julie and Kallie that the next two weeks might be very interesting indeed.


	22. New Recruits

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie is my own creation and I take full credit for her. Guess who else is coming into the Rangeman fold._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 22: New Recruits

Unknown POV:

I put my Oakley sunglasses on before getting off the plane. I look neither left nor right as I make my way into the terminal and gather my luggage. I pay no attention to the people staring at me. I have no illusions as to my appeal. I know what they see. I am 6'3" in height and have a lean, yet muscular build. My skin is a rich copper and my hair is blue black in color and reaches the middle of my back. It is flowing free at the moment but soon it will be in its usual single braid down my back. I have high cheekbones, a mouth referred to as sensual, straight nose the right size for my face, and my eyes are an unusual hazel green. They are unusual because of my Native American ancestry. I am half Sioux, quarter Apache, and the other quarter is a mix of white man. I know my appearance is considered handsome, but my looks are unimportant to me. I have no use for the female of the species. I haven't had for some time. Don't get me wrong, I am still very much a man. When my urges get too strong I usually just find the nearest willing female and use her to satisfy myself before discarding her. No emotions needed. I make sure the women I choose are emotionless as well.

I made my way to gather my bags and then headed out to a sporty, black Porsche 911 GT2 RS Coupe. I put my bags in the car and take off. I narrow my eyes as I think about the orders that came down three days ago. Seems the head boss wanted me and two others to relocate to the office in Trenton, New Jersey. It made no difference to me, a job was a job. I focused on the road before me and concentrated on burning up the miles between Newark and Trenton. When I hit the outskirts of Trenton I slowed to speed limit, not wanting to pick up a speeding ticket. Not that being pulled over by a cop would bother me, but I wanted to stay under their radar as long as possible. According to Drago, the boss had an apartment I could stay in for as long as I liked.

I pulled up to the entrance to the garage at Rangeman on Haywood and showed my ID to the man stationed there. He took the ID and studied it carefully for several seconds before handing it back. I slid the photo back into my wallet and made my way to a parking space. I noticed there was a Porsche Cayenne and a Porsche Turbo 911 parked in the two spaces by the elevator. Obviously those were the boss man's vehicles. I pulled into an empty space and decided to leave my things in the car for now. I needed to head up to 5 and report for duty. I'd get my keys for the garage and my apartment and then I'd come back and get my bags. I stopped in front of the elevator and looked up at the camera there as I noticed Santiago and Digger got out of a black SUV that had parked a short distance away. The only way we were getting up to 5 this time was if the guys upstairs sent the elevator. Although I would rather take the steps, until they had cleared us we wouldn't be allowed that opportunity.

It took them several seconds to send the elevator down, and I had the feeling it would have been longer if I hadn't removed my Oakley's so they could get an unobstructed view of my face. Santiago and Digger mumbled under their breaths at the delay. When the three of us were directed to report here, they offered to travel together; I chose to make my own way here. When the elevator arrived we stepped in and noticed the 5 button was already lit. I put the sunglasses back on and waited for the elevator to stop on the 5th floor. When the doors opened I stepped out and looked around. Their control center was a copy of Rangeman Boston's. I turned in the direction of the boss man's office and in no time I was standing in front of his door. The other two men were beside me.

I knocked and got an, "Enter."

I opened the door and we stepped into the office. The boss looked up from the paperwork before him and raised an eyebrow. I got his meaning and removed the glasses. Our eyes locked and for several minutes we weighed each other up. Finally he gave a miniscule nod of his head and said, "Have a seat."

I moved to a chair and sat down. The other two took up seats on the sofa. He narrowed his eyes and folded his hands together on his desk as he met my gaze. "I've read your file Raven. I see when you left the marines you held the rank of Captain."

I gave a slight nod in acknowledgement.

"You're file says you have no fondness for women. Rangeman has a policy in place concerning Babe. She's to be protected at all costs. Is that going to be a problem for you?"

I spoke up for the first time, "I've had no problem with any job I've been assigned so far. As long as there's nothing in that policy that says I have to like her, I see no problem."

I thought I saw the ghost of a smile before he wiped all expression off his face and said, "My daughters plan to move to Trenton and open a business. The same rule will apply to them that is in place for Babe."

I nodded. "Not a problem."

Next he looked at Alex Santiago and said, "Your file says you are a skirt chaser. Its interfered with your job on occasion." The look on his face was enough to make a strong man piss himself but Santiago held it together, even though you could tell he was incredibly nervous. The boss continued, "My daughters are _not_ to be considered conquests."

Santiago nodded, "No problem boss."

The boss's gaze went to the third member of our little group, "According to your file you have a tendency to cut corners in doing the research needed before going after your skips, relying on your skills to make the capture. You will be retraining on the correct way to do searches."

Digger winced, "Sure."

The boss glared, "You need to take this seriously because there are consequences for sloppy searches."

Digger gave a slight nod, "I'll take it seriously sir."

"Good." He took several key fobs out of his desk and laid them on the desk. He nodded to them and said, "Welcome aboard Rangeman Trenton. You'll have the next two days off to get moved into your apartments and take a look around town. The apartments are on 4, third one on the right, 5th on the right and the 1st one on the left. You can decide who gets which. You're responsible for your own breakfast; lunch and dinner Ella always has something in the break room. Ella is always to be treated with respect, same for Babe and when they get here Julie and Kallie."

I nodded as did the other two. Our gazes lock for several seconds before he gives a nod and says, "Dismissed."

I head down to the garage to get my things and head to my new apartment. We had each grabbed a set of keys and the apartment number was on the fob. On entering I see it's a standard issue Rangeman apartment. Its fine for my purposes, I don't need any frills. I set the keys and my Oakley's on the counter and move over to the bedroom area to unpack. Inside of 20 minutes I have the apartment set up the way I want and I decide to head out and canvas the town. I quickly run a brush threw my hair and work it into a braid. I grab my keys and Oakley's and head out.

_No. I didn't type this chapter that fast. This chapter was already mostly done before I had surgery. I just needed to edit. This was originally the second chapter of the story, but since the story took a turn when I was free-writing the beginning, I saved this chapter to use when I got to this point. And so enters Raven. He is another original character. You might recognize him from The Face That Lies. However, he and Kallie have never met for the purposes of this story. _


	23. Heading Out

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 23: Heading Out

Stephanie's POV:

I saw the three new guys come out of Ranger's office and head for the elevator. I stood and made my way to his office and silently slipped in. Of course my arrival didn't go un-noticed. Ranger smiled and said, "Have a seat Babe."

"Are they going with us to Miami?"

Ranger paused, "I thought about it, but I think a better choice would be to have Tank and the core team put them through their paces over the next two weeks. When we get back I'll give them their new assignment."

I nodded. I paused, wondering if I should say anything. I should have known I couldn't pull anything over on my husband. He raised an eyebrow and just waited for me to say something. I sighed, "I got a weird feeling when they walked by to come in here. I can't pin point which one of them set it off, or if all three of them did, but my spidey sense is going nuts."

Ranger nodded. "I'll have Rodriquez look into it while we are gone."

I wrapped my arms around him and he pulled me into his lap for a very passionate kiss. When he released me I asked, "When are we leaving?"

Ranger chuckled, "How about 10 minutes? I know you're anxious to see the girls."

I smiled and covered his mouth with my own to show him my appreciation. This time when he released me I stood and headed for the door. If we were leaving in 10 minutes, I had a few things to get ready.

Ranger's POV:

I watched Babe walk out of my office and lifted the phone punching in Tank's extension. I was greeted with a "Yo."

"My office. Grab Brown and Santos as well as Hector."

I didn't have long to wait. Inside of two minutes the others were entering my office and Tank closed the door behind them. His look was grim when he said, "What do you need Rangeman?"

"Stephanie got a feeling when the three new recruits walked by a few minutes ago. She's not sure if its one or more of them. I want Rodriquez doing and intense background search on all three and I want the info sent to me in Miami. If there is any chance that one of these guys is not what they appear, I want to know."

I knew I had all their attention and if there was anything to find, they would find it. "I want these three put through the paces that every new recruit has to go through. I'm putting them on Babe detail when we get back."

I could tell by the grins on all their faces that they were going to enjoy watching to see how the new guys measured up. We spent a few more minutes on last minute instructions and then I dismissed the men. Once they left my office I shut down my computer and stood. I made my way up to 7 so I could gather the luggage. Babe was waiting for me when the doors opened and we headed down to the Cayenne. It didn't take us long to reach Newark airport. In no time we were through to the boarding gate. As it was our turn to board, Babe froze for a second and put a hand over her stomach. She turned to me with an uneasy look on her face and I waited, giving her time. Finally, she took a deep breath and spoke softly, "I'm getting a really bad feeling, but I don't want to miss the plane and delay getting to Miami."

"Your call Babe. We can always drive."

She shook her head. "I've always been a poor flyer. I hate take offs. Maybe its just that."

I shook my head, "You're never wrong Babe. Would you rather drive?"

The woman at the gate said, "You need to board if you're going to."

Steph took a deep breath and said, "Let's go. I can do this."

We made our way onto the plane and headed to our seats in the first class section. I stowed our carry-on luggage and made sure she was comfortable before taking my seat beside her. When the plane took off, I wrapped my arms around her and held her close. Once we were in the air she seemed to settle down. We were nearing Miami when a passenger made his way forward, going beyond where we were to the front of the plane. Suddenly Babe's hand clenched mine and when I turned she was gasping for breath. I gave her a concerned look and she whispered, "I think he's going to hijack the plane."


	24. A Warning and A Rescue

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 24: A Warning and A Rescue

Kallie's POV:

I sat up in the middle of my bed with a silent scream going off in my head. I had to warn mom and dad before they got on the plane. I grabbed my phone from the night stand and hit 4 on my speed dial. I don't know why I was calling Tank instead of mom or dad but I went with my instincts. There was a "Yo" on the other end.

"Tank, this is Kallie. The plane is going to be hi-jacked. You need to get guys on the plane."

"Slow down little one. What plane?"

"The one mom and dad are flying on to Miami."

"Tell me what you know."

"There are 8 terrorist on board. They have one guy wired as a human bomb and he'll go to the Captain and make the demands. Mom will get a feeling and will share it with dad. The other 6 are spread throughout the plane and are ready to act if any of the others fail. There's two I can't see as well because they're cloudy."

"Okay little one. Give me their locations."

I told Tank where all the players were located and we disconnected. Now I had to wait and worry till I got the call to say if they were in time or not. I couldn't sleep any longer and so I slipped out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I'd take a shower and get dressed. Hopefully I could stay quiet and not wake up Julie.

Raven's POV:

I had no idea where the anxious feeling was coming from. I didn't do anxious…_ever_. I was usually able to sleep when I needed to no matter where I was or what was going on. I could sleep and still be alert for any danger. I credited my Native American heritage for this. After all, my grandfather was a great Shaman and considered a ghost whisperer. I gave up on sleep and headed for the shower. Once I was dressed in my usual SWAT black, I armed myself and headed out. I made my way down to the garage and slid into my car. In no time I was making my way through the streets of Trenton. I zoned out just letting the car take me where it would. Two hours later when I pulled into the Newark airport I frowned. Okay, for some reason I was directed here by my subconscious so I figured I'd park and head inside to see what was triggering my subconscious.

I had been looking around for nearly 20 minutes when I noticed the boss and his wife heading for one of the boarding gates. I felt a pull and headed in their direction. They boarded and the door was starting to close when I noticed 5 men dressed similar to the way I was dressed. They showed their ID's to the boarding agent and she hesitated before one of them sent her a smile and she melted, letting them all through. I quickened my pace and made it just before she closed the gate. She assumed I was with the others and I didn't tell her any different.

I noticed the guys in black had taken up seats in the back. I joined them and noticed the one who'd smiled at the boarding agent was looking pissed I was there. He spoke in a tone barely a whisper but yet cold as ice, "What the hell are you doing here?"

I turned and met his gaze. I took the Oakley's I was wearing off for a second and shrugged, "Just a feeling."

Our eyes locked for several seconds before he said, "You follow my orders and if you screw up the boss will make you wish you'd stayed in bed today."

I nodded. He clued me in on what we were doing. I found out the man I was sitting beside was Lester Santos. The other members of our group were Bobby Brown who was the Rangeman medic and had come in case there were any injuries. Also part of the group was Hector, Binkie and Junior. Lester told us where the targets were and it was our job to neutralize them all. Once we were in the air and the sign came on that we could move around, each of us stood and made our way to our target. I noticed one of the targets making his way towards the front of the plane. Lester had said the boss would be handling that target so we could concentrate on the others. I stood and made my way over to my kill.

I sat down and noticed the man beside me. He wasn't your normal run of the mill suicide terrorist. Something was off but I couldn't put my finger on it. As I sat there I could swear I heard a soft, feminine voice in my head telling me this was the wrong target. I looked around and saw a man two seats up who was dressed similarly. He turned and I caught a look at his face. The deep scar running down the side of his face gave me a clue just who I was looking at. My eyes narrowed. He was reported to be dead. Guess you can't always believe everything you are told. I stood and made my way to my new destination. I could feel the anger rolling off Santos behind me but didn't have time to turn and tell him the target he directed me to was wrong.

I reached my new destination and took my seat. The man beside me stiffened and reached for something at his back. Before he could finish the movement I reached out and made sure the reports of his death were more accurate. Once my task was finished I went back to the seat I'd been directed too. The man beside me whispered, "There is a bomb in the belly of the plane. If all of them fail, the bomb will still go off and everyone will die."

I turned to him and nodded for him to continue. Finally I said, "Let's go make sure it doesn't get the chance to go off."

The man nodded. "If they find out I helped you they'll kill my family."

"Where."

"They're holding them in Boston."

I took out my cell and sent Drago a text. With that done I stood and looked around. Looks like everyone had taken out their targets. I motioned to my seat mate to proceed me and when we reached Santos he gave me a cold look which I assumed was for disobeying his order in taking out the target. I stopped long enough to tell him, "It was the wrong target. I took out the right target and this one will help find the bomb in the belly of the plane."

Lester nodded and motioned for Binkie and Junior to go with us. It took all of 70 minutes to find the bomb. The timer had 15 more minutes to go. I quickly and efficiently took care of disabling the bomb and then we all went back to our seats. I turned to the man beside me, "You helped, so you get one free pass. You target any of us again and you won't get a pass."

"Don't worry. When I get to my family we are moving to the mid-west. We just want to get lost in the crowd and live our lives."

Ranger's POV:

I looked at Babe and gave her a kiss before I stood. I put a Glock in her hand and told her if he came back through here not to hesitate in shooting him in the head. I made my way forward in time to see the man pounding on the cabin door to the cockpit telling the pilot he had a bomb strapped to him and if the door wasn't answered he was blowing up the plane. I managed to sneak up on the hi-jacker and with one deadly blow took him out of the equation. I knocked on the cabin door and told the pilot I had the situation under control and he could continue on our normal course.

The door opened and the co-pilot stepped out to find out what had gone on. I explained about seeing the passenger headed forward and deciding to take him out. I told him I was going to go back and check to make sure there were no more surprises. He nodded and said he'd join me. I let him walk through first and we had just made it back to first class when the man in front of me turned quickly. Being aware of my surroundings I was able to block the blow he was throwing my way. I hit him with a blow that threw him off balance. He fell over the seat in front of Stephanie and came up swinging a wicked looking knife. I managed to evade the knife when he reached back and grabbed Stephanie's wrist and pulled her in front of him. Our eyes locked and I knew what she was going to do before she even moved. She let herself go limp and fall pulling the man off balance. He was able to keep her from going all the way down though but she was turned facing him. He got a vicious looking expression on his face and was in the process of lifting the knife to bring down on her when her knee connected with his gonads pushing them up as far as she could. He dropped like a stone and I took him the rest of the way out.

Once I was sure he was dead I motioned to Babe to come with and retraced my way to the cockpit and knocked on the door. I had Babe call out that the co-pilot just slumped over in first class. The door opened a crack and after a moment it opened fully. The man standing before us had a black eye and several cuts and bruises on his face. I stepped forward and asked for his credentials. He handed me his info and after checking it out I asked if there were any more in the cockpit we had to worry about. He said no and they'd gotten Intel from Rangeman that the rest of the group had been neutralized. I introduced myself and he smiled and said there were several of my men who had gotten on board without paying. I raised an eyebrow and asked if that would be a problem. He laughed and said, "Hell no. I think as far as the airline goes anytime Rangeman has a business flight they'll probably fly for free after just saving the plane and passengers."

I was allowed to check the cockpit and then the co-pilot walked with Stephanie and I towards the back of the plane where I recognized Santos, Brown, Binkie, Junior, Hector and surprisingly enough the new man Raven. We met at the back of the plane where we discussed the incident and I agreed with Raven's suggestion that he remain with his seat mate in case he's more involved than he's leading us to believe. When I learned it was Kallie that tipped off Tank I wasn't surprised. Once Babe and I returned to our seats, I texted our youngest and let her know we were all fine thanks to her quick action.


	25. Saying Hello

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 25: Saying Hello

Stephanie's POV:

When the plane landed I was happy to get off the plane. Some days I thought I was getting too old for this shit. At 43 years of age I had been battling crazies for thirteen years. It was good to know that my skills had gotten better over the years though. And these days I did more searches then take downs. Still, nothing like getting the heart pumping. Ranger and I exited the plane with the others and then spent a few minutes discussing whether the guys should just head back to Trenton or continue on as our back up. I had to admit, I would feel much better if our guys were watching our backs instead of the Miami group. That being said, Ranger decided to have them join us and make the return trip when we went back.

Once we made it through to the baggage claim, the guys got our bags and we headed for Rangeman Miami. Ranger and I would be staying in the penthouse suit and the rest of the guys would be sharing an apartment there. Ranger sent a text with the guy's sizes so they would have clothes waiting for them. That was the best part about having a standard outfit for everyone, they were ordered in bulk and so there would be extras so the guys could have changes of clothes without having had to pack.

Once we got to the apartment I headed for the shower. It was hotter in Miami than Trenton and even this early in the year, today was a scorcher. I had no more than gotten wet when strong hands went to my waist and pulled me back into a_ hot_ Cuban body. He turned me to face him and our lips connected. He spent the next several minutes thoroughly cleaning me before I returned the favor. He lifted me and I wrapped my legs around his waist with my arms around his neck. He entered me with one solid thrust and in no time we were both _very_ happy indeed. Three hours later after another shower we finally emerged from the bathroom fully dressed. Ranger was in his usual SWAT black and I was in blue shorts and a sleeveless white top that didn't quite reach the top of my shorts. My hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

We headed out to the kitchen and had just sat down to take a look at what was in the fridge when there was a knock on the door. A second later the door opened and Lester and Bobby walked in. Although they were still dressed in black, the outfit was lighter weight than they usually wore. They joined us at the table and Lester grinned asking, "You get any rest Beautiful? Bobby and I gave you guys three hours figuring you could get a good nap in that time."

I smiled and replied, "I was a little busy and missed the nap."

Lester's grin widened. "Are you guys picking up the girls?"

Ranger shook his head. "Kallie said she and Julie would be here at 6. We'll go to a Cuban restaurant for dinner and then head back here for the night. You two want to join us?"

Bobby smiled, "Its been a long time since we've seen the girls, but we'll let you two have them to yourselves tonight. We'll shadow you though."

Ranger nodded. We had about 20 minutes to wait for the girls and we spent it talking with Les and Bobby. When the bell rang announcing we were getting company, I hurried to the door as I was anxious to see my girls. When the door opened I could hardly believe the change the past few months had made in our daughters. At 23, Julie was a knockout. She stood 5'8" in height without the added 3" heels on her strappy sandals. Her black hair hit her shoulder blades in back and she had Ranger's brown eyes and skin tone. She had a curvy frame and I could tell by the expression on Les' face that had this not been his cousin he would be spouting off his best lines.

Kallie stood beside her sister and my eyes softened as I took in both girls. Kallie barely reached 5' in height and she was slender with curves of her own. Her hair was a light brown-blonde and pulled back into a ponytail. She barely looked old enough to drive let alone be old enough to be graduating from University. Her face...stunning and beautiful were words that didn't do it justice. She had beautiful hazel green eyes, small perfect nose, and a sensual mouth. She barely wore any makeup but she obviously didn't need much anyway. Her skin was lightly tanned and flawless.

Kallie grinned and said, "I'm glad you guys made it and everything turned out alright."

Ranger nodded to her, "Thanks for the warning."

Julie looked confused for a second before turning to Kallie and raising her eyebrow, "Obviously you know something I don't."

Kallie shrugged, "I had a dream and made sure Tank sent backup."

I grinned at the girls, "You two hungry? Ranger said we could go to that Cuban restaurant you girls were telling us about."

Both girls moaned. Julie turned and asked Bobby and Lester if they were joining us. Lester told her they would shadow us but tonight was for the four of us to connect. We headed down to the garage and Ranger grabbed the keys to the Cayenne. The girls got in the back and we were off. We made good time to the restaurant and in no time we were seated. I couldn't believe that not only did Ranger get a spot near the door but so did Lester and Bobby. While we were waiting for our waitress, Kallie and Julie decided to use the ladies room. Ranger leaned close and our lips met. Things were just starting to get heated when we heard the sound of throats being cleared. We pulled apart to see the girls sitting across from us grinning ear to ear.

Ranger's eyes met Julie's and she bumped him with her foot. Ranger's eyebrows went up and he smiled as Julie's eyes rolled in a Burg worthy motion. "So…how long are you two here for dad?"

Ranger turned to me and took my hand in his. "We're planning on spending two weeks in Miami before heading back to Trenton. I need to look things over at the Miami office and figured we would have plenty of time to see some of the sights as well as spend some time with you girls. How about it?"

Julie smiled, "That sounds great dad. I've been looking forward to seeing both of you and spending time with you. I was hoping you wouldn't have to get right back to Trenton. I've told all my friends so much about Stephanie, but I don't think most of them believed me about her blowing up all those cars."

I groaned and leaned my head on Ranger's shoulder. We were interrupted by the waitress stopping at our table. She rubbed herself against Ranger and asked, "What can I get for you handsome?"

His eyes narrowed and he turned a frosty gaze on her. Her cheeks reddened and she stepped quickly back. I gave her a glare that would make any Burg girl proud. "Menu's would be nice. Maybe you could get us something to drink? I'd like a coke."

Julie smiled, "Make that three cokes please."

She turned to Ranger and he said, "I'll just have ice water."

She nodded and turned away. She came back seconds later and handed Julie four menus. Julie passed the menus to the rest of us and the waitress went to get our drinks. When she came back with our drinks, we were ready to place our order. Ranger asked for the "Chimi-Chicken" which was grilled chicken breast "a la parilla" and he opted for the spicy chimichurri sauce. Julie chose the Garlic Lime Medio Pollo which was juicey, half chicken grilled with savory garlic lime marinade. She went on to order four Tapas; side garden salad with sliced thin chorizo flambéed in white wine. Tapas are a wide variety of appetizers or snacks. They may be cold such as mixed olives and cheese or warm such as chopitos which are battered, fried baby squid. Julie then went on to order an appetizer called The Trio which was Pork, Picadillo and Shrimp. Each served on a bed of tostones (fried green plantains) and topped with avocados and pico de gallo.

When she went on to order Assorted Fresh Oven Baked Empanadas, my eyes widened and I whispered, "Where is Julie going to put all that food?" Ranger smiled and whispered back, "She's ordering it for all of us to share." There was silence for a second and then I said, "Oh."

Julie ordered two each beef, chicken and ham and cheese. The Empanadas are delicious Cuban style baked turnovers. Once the waitress had all that down, Julie smiled at her and ordered a dessert sampler to come at the end of the meal. The Dessert Sampler consists of Dulce de leche; a sweet prepared by slowly heating sweetened milk to create a product that derives its taste from caramelized sugar, literally translated means candy of milk. Another dessert from the sampler is boniatillo; a Cuban tropical sweet potato pudding. This dish also includes arroz con leche; a Spanish pudding made from rice that's cooked in milk with various flavorings such as vanilla, lemon and cinnamon. The final dessert on the sampler is natilla; a richer version of egg custard without the caramel sauce and highly cinnamon flavored or similar to crème brulee without the crust of sugar.

Julie handed the waitress her menu and smiled at Ranger. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you sure you're done? Nothing else on the menu interest you?"

Julie burst out laughing. "Come on dad, you know you love those dishes too. Besides, Stephanie needs a good sampling of Cuban cuisine and no place does it better unless its Abuella Maria or Abuella Rosa."

Ranger nodded, ceding her the point. The waitress turned to Kallie who ordered, "One order of the Shrimp Creole (sautéed with a savory tomato) and one order of the Shrimp al Ajillo (sautéed with garlic wine sauce) please."

The waitress turned to me and I ordered the "Empanizado" al la Milanesa; which was country style steak or chicken marinated and deep fried, topped with homemade tomato sauce, ham, and baked swiss cheese. When asked which I would prefer, steak or chicken, I turned to Kallie and smiled before saying, "Both please."

The waitress took the rest of the menus and went to turn in our order. We spent the time waiting for our food to arrive asking Julie and Kallie what their plans were now that they were out of school. Julie looked to Kallie and she nodded. Smiling, Julie turned back to Ranger and I and said, "Kallie and I are taking a few weeks to pack up and get everything shipped, and then we are heading to…." She was drawing it out as long as possible, but finally said, "Trenton."

Ranger raised an eyebrow and I cried, "Really?"

Julie nodded. "We found several properties we'll be looking at to buy. We plan to start our own business."

I leaned forward and asked, "What kind of business? Do you have the property listings? I'd love to help out anyway I can."

I watched as Julie smiled, "Great, because I'd love to have you go with us and help pick out a good location." Julie took out a paper and handed it to me. "These are the listings we've marked as possibles."

I nodded, "I'll check out the sites when we get back and let you know which ones have the most promise."

_Note: Information on the dishes ordered at the restaurant was from a Sergio's (a real restaurant) menu which I googled. I googled the dishes to come up with what they were if it wasn't already stated in the menu, like the desserts and Tapas, etc. Much of the wording is from the googled source._


	26. A Rangeman Gets Fired

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 26: A Rangeman Gets Fired

Ranger's POV:

While Stephanie spent her days with the girls, I made the most of my time by going over procedures with the Miami crew. Hector, Les and Bobby were with the girls and Binkie and Junior stayed at the office with me. While I was going over the books, they were checking out the new recruits on skills. One new recruit showed a little more promise than the others. The guys referred to him as Rambo. He was a 6'5" blond Adonis. He wore his hair in a ponytail and it was nearly as long as Raven's. He made his way onto my radar when I saw the way he looked at Julie whenever she was nearby. I ended up giving him the same speech I had given Santiago. My daughters were not conquests. He looked me square in the eye and told me it was up to Julie who she allowed in her life.

Over the next two weeks we spent time going to the movies, eating out, going to a couple concerts, a baseball game, a ballet, and a party at Rachel and Ron's. The girls had two guys on them from the Miami crew at all times. I noticed that even though he hadn't been assigned to the task of watching the girls, Rambo was nearby more times than not. After looking into it, it seems he traded assignments. I had a talk with my counterpart Deacon and learned Rambo was the best as sensing danger Deacon had ever seen. Deacon also mentioned transferring Rambo to Trenton when the girls left Miami. I decided to let go of the fact that he could almost be accused of stalking Julie and made a mention to my crew to keep their eyes on him. I told Deacon I'd have to think about the transfer.

On the day of the graduation Stephanie and I met the girls for breakfast. From there I took my girls shopping and then we returned to the Rangeman building and I went down to the gym while the girls got ready for the graduation. As I entered the gym, I noticed Rambo was in the ring working with another of their team. I watched as he held his own against the older man who was being less than clean in his fighting. Rambo didn't sink to his level though; he just kept his movements clean. When it was obvious he had the other man and had won, he gave his opponent a nod and turned to leave the ring. His opponent wasn't worthy of his trust and attacked him while his back was turned. Before the blow could land, Rambo turned and nailed his ass to the floor and whispered something in a deadly quiet voice.

This time when Rambo left, there was no attack. As a matter of fact, the man lying on the ring floor was a pasty white color, as if he were afraid for his very life. I followed Rambo and commented on the job he did keeping the fight clean. He met my gaze and nodded. I asked him, "Are you done working out?"

Rambo raised an eyebrow, "You need a sparring partner?"

I gave a slight nod, "If you have the energy."

His eyes twinkled but otherwise there was no emotion. He motioned to a ring and we got inside. I was impressed with the workout he gave me. Twice he nearly took me to the mats but I was able to hold him off. When I pinned him for the last time he stayed down. He met my gaze and said, "You're every bit as good as I heard."

"You're not bad yourself."

He laughed, "All the same, I'll stay down."

I turned to exit but something told me to turn. As I did, the man Rambo had fought earlier was approaching him with a knife in his hand. When Rambo went to sit up, the other man swung the knife. I was able to intercept him and had him on the ground before he even knew what happened. "You just made your last mistake. Pack your gear and get out of my building. You're fired."

"You can't fire me."

"Like hell I can't."

I looked up at the camera, "Deacon, he has 15 minutes to get out of the building. Make sure he has his last paycheck."

"You'll regret this. I promise you that."

I bent down so my face was inches from his and spoke softly so only he could hear. I made sure he knew exactly what was going to happen to him if he came after me or mine. When I let him up he ran from the gym. I noticed Hector was there so I made a motion and knew Hector would shadow him. I held my hand out to Rambo and told him he fought well. He thanked me for watching his back and I nodded. Maybe I would tell Deacon I'd take him after all. I could put him on Babe detail with the other three and see how they did.

_Any thoughts on the Rangeman who just got fired? Will he make good on his threat or will he be too afraid to try anything? Any thoughts on Rambo? Will he end up following the others back to Trenton?_


	27. Two Weeks In Miami

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 27: Two Weeks In Miami

Stephanie's POV:

The girls and I had a wonderful two weeks. They loved it when Ranger was able to join us which wasn't as often as they would have liked. However, he'd made it a point to make today special. We had a wonderful time all morning. I couldn't believe in a few short hours I was going to watch my girls graduate. I was excited about the fact they would be returning to Trenton to open their business. I was looking forward to having them close. I had just finished getting ready when Ranger walked into the apartment. I could tell something was wrong but the slight shake of his head told me he didn't want to discuss it at this time. He was making sure nothing upset the girls on this special day.

I stopped when I reached him and leaned in to kiss him. He returned the kiss and then went into get ready. Fifteen minutes later when the girls came out of their bedroom ready to get going, Ranger was coming back out to join us as well. We dropped the girls off where they were to meet their classmates before the graduation took place and we went in to take our seats. I cried when I watched the girls get their diplomas and then finally the ceremony was over and we were going to join them. We made our way to the vehicle and Ranger drove us to the Cuban restaurant we had come to love in the short time we'd been here. By the time we returned to the apartment we were all tired from our busy day.

I noticed when we pulled into the garage that Kallie seemed a little ill at ease. She looked around before hugging herself and stepping closer to Julie. We rode the elevator up to our apartment and called it a night. The screams in the middle of the night pulled us from our sleep and I was a few steps behind Ranger when he entered Kallie and Julie's room with his gun drawn. Kallie was sitting up in bed as white as a sheet. I went over to her and wrapped her in my arms. Ranger sat down on her other side and started talking to her in Spanish. It took several seconds before she responded and when she did she looked at Julie with fear.

Ranger asked her, "What's the matter Mijita?"

Kallie clung to Ranger and said, "He's watching. His plans have changed and he has to come sooner."

"Who?"

"The son of Chucky. That's what he calls himself."

"Who is he?"

"Its too dark. I can't see him. But its Julie he's after."

It took us quite a while to get Kallie settled. Once she was finally sleeping, Ranger went over and asked Julie how she was doing. Julie shrugged, "Kallie's been getting these weird dreams lately. She says the man is watching me and planning on coming for me, but she's always said its not time. This is the first time she said that he's coming sooner."

"Have you had issues with anyone?"

Julie shook her head. "No. The guys following us have always been very careful to keep us safe. I have no clue."

Finally, Julie was settled as well and we went back to our room. Ranger took out his phone and sent a couple of text out. One was to Hector and one to Tank. When he lay down beside me he pulled me into his arms and told me not to worry. He would protect us all.

_Unknown POV:_

_I smiled as I watched her walk across the stage and get her diploma. She was so beautiful. I couldn't wait till it was time to make her mine. I had everything planned. I knew she was planning to move to Trenton and I had made arrangements to join her there. I had an apartment already rented and all my things had already been sent ahead. I had all the time in the world. Nothing could ruin my plans now._

_The door opened and the idiot I was paying to feed me information walked in. He had a look in his eyes I didn't care for. He stopped in front of me and said he got fired today for trying to take out the blonde giant that is always around my princess. He told me I owed him because if he hadn't been trying to help me he would never have been fired. I told him he was a fool and I had no intention of paying him anything. That's when he ruined all my carefully constructed plans and threatened me. He said unless I paid him and kept on paying him he would go and tell my princesses' father of my plans._

_I felt the rage bubbling to the surface and I lunged for him. He pulled out a gun and laughed. Then he told me I had to repay him by taking the fall for him killing the blonde giant and the father of my princess. He said they would both die. I didn't care if they both died. But I had a feeling he wasn't going to stop there. I had the feeling he was going to try and take my princess from me. That is something I wouldn't allow. I had to go for my princess sooner than I wanted now. All my careful plans and he was ruining everything. I wanted to kill him for this. Then, I smiled. Maybe I would help him kill the blonde giant and the father of my princess. Then once I took her I could kill him and pin the blame on him. Then no one would ever find me and my beauty._


	28. Back To Trenton

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 28: Back To Trenton

Stephanie's POV:

We flew back to Trenton without any problems. Bobby, Lester, Hector, Binkie and Junior flew first class with us this time. Kallie and Julie were packing up and planned to make the drive in a few weeks' time after having some much needed time to relax and enjoy them-selves. Ranger had arranged for Rambo to keep tabs on them and he was going to follow them to Trenton. I planned to use the next few weeks checking out the addresses Julie and Kallie had given me. When we stepped off the plane, we made our way back to Haywood. Ranger and I as well as the guys with us had the rest of the day off and then starting tomorrow we were back to work with a vengeance.

I woke up just shy of 9 a.m. and headed for the shower. Once I was showered, shampooed and dried, I pulled on a pair of jeans, a green t-shirt, and my favorite boots. I brushed my hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. After adding my makeup, I headed down to 5 where I headed to Ranger's office. He wanted me to meet the three young men who would be following me around for the next few weeks.

As I neared Ranger's office I heard someone saying, "By the time this chick makes it to work it will be quitting time."

When no response was forthcoming, the speaker went on, "You guys know I'm right. She gets away with this shit because she's married to the chief. If you ask me she's a waste and someone who can actually do the job should have it."

My eyes narrowed as I neared. No one else added a comment to the speaker, whether they felt the same way or not was another matter. I continued on my way to Ranger's office and when I reached the door I opened it and stepped inside. Ranger looked up and I could tell by the look on his face that he had heard what the moron outside had said. I grinned knowing what was coming and took my seat on the sofa.

Ranger's POV:

I sat listening to that ass Digger make a bigger hole for himself than he already had. He had the nerve to say several uncomplimentary things about Stephanie and I couldn't wait till I handed these guys their assignment so I could see this idiot get his ass handed to him by my Babe. I smiled wickedly as I thought about what had happened to the guys over the years and hoped this bastard suffered through every single one. I saw on the monitor on my desk that she was on the floor and headed my way. I noticed as she neared she slowed down and I'd bet anything that moron was going on about her still. My eyes narrowed even more. When the door opened I looked up into her beautiful face and noticed by the look on her face that she had heard some of what had been said. I also knew she was aware that I knew exactly what was going on. She took her seat on the sofa and I pressed a button on my phone to let Woody know to send the others in. I wasn't the only one who would have heard what was said about Stephanie, but I'd let my men deliver their own messages to Digger.

The three young men entered the room and Digger made a beeline for the sofa. Just as he was about to sit down, Babe stood and walked around my desk to stand at my side. Digger continued to sit on the sofa and Santiago sat next to him. Raven chose the chair that allowed him the best view of the room. I sat back and reached up for Stephanie's hand. I turned to the three men and said, "I have your assignments gentlemen."

I saw a smirk on Digger's face. My eyes narrowed and I continued, "All three of you will be working with Stephanie over the next several weeks. She will teach you how to do searches, and you will be on Babe detail as well. That means whenever Stephanie goes out, you three will make sure she stays safe. Her safety will be your responsibility. Any questions?"

The three men indicated there were no questions and I nodded. "Dismissed."

They stood and Digger went to head out of the room. Babe rolled her eyes and sighed, "Hey Digger."

He turned to her with a superior look and asked, "Yes?"

"You know where you are going?"

He looked down at his watch and in a condescending tone said, "To finally get to work."

I could feel Babe tense but she gave nothing away as she smiled and said, "By all means."

Digger left the office and headed for his cubicle. Stephanie walked to the door and the other two fell into step beside her. She headed for the elevator and I waited till she left the garage with the other two before I made my way to where Digger was seated working on his computer. When he saw me he stopped what he was doing and looked up to meet my gaze.

He stiffened, "Can I help you sir?"

"You are aware you are responsible for Stephanie's safety?"

"Yes sir."

"Then what are you still doing here?"

Digger looked puzzled, "Sir?"

I growled. Digger paled. I nailed him with my gaze and said, "It is your job to follow her and learn from her as you protect her. She left the building after leaving my office so what are you still doing here?"

Digger's made a fish impersonation with his mouth. "I didn't expect her to leave the building sir. I thought we were going to work on searches."

I shook my head, "Apparently you thought wrong."

Digger looked around, "How do I find her sir?"

I stared at him for several moments before barking out, "Cal."

"Yo."

"Where's Stephanie?"

"Bonds office. She just got there so she should be there for a few minutes."

I nodded, "You have about 5 minutes to get to Vincent Plum Bail Bonds so you can catch up with the others."

With that I turned around and headed back to my office. I closed the door and smiled as I watched Digger haul ass to the garage to get in a vehicle and head out to the bonds office. I had a feeling the next few weeks were going to prove entertaining.


	29. Oh What Fun

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

Chapter 29: Oh What Fun

Raven's POV:

I can't believe that idiot Digger would be stupid enough to talk trash about the boss's wife within hearing distance of both of them. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that both of them had heard his comments. Then to top that off, instead of waiting to see where Stephanie was headed, he cut in front of her and went back to his cubby. Alex and I exchanged amused glances. We waited for her to head out and then we followed her. She by-passed the cubicles and headed for the elevator. Alex and I followed her down to the garage and scrambled to our cars when she got in the Cayenne and took off.

I was seconds behind her and she had no more than parked when a spot opened up right in front of the bonds office. I pulled in and was getting out as she reached my car. I turned to see her glaring at me with her hands on her hips. I could swear she was muttering something about even new Rangemen having parking karma but that made no sense. She stalked over to the door and pulled it open and I stepped in behind her. A couple seconds later Alex entered and joined us. I stood with my legs slightly apart and my hands at my side as I watched her go over to the desk and leaf through some folders there. She motioned to another stack and asked the aging Betty Boop look alike if those were the Rangeman folders. She got a yes. Stephanie turned to Alex and motioned to the stack of folders. She told him to grab those to take back to Rangeman.

Alex had just grabbed the folders when Digger came barreling into the room. His eyes narrowed and he had a pissed off look on his face. I couldn't believe the jackass had the nerve to say, "I have no intention of taking a backseat to a female. Listen up cookie because the next time you take off without me I'm going to handcuff you to your desk."

Stephanie smiled sweetly and turned to the heavyset black woman sitting on the sofa. She motioned with her head and the black woman smiled and hauled herself to her feet. Stephanie walked over to where I was standing and told Digger, "Why don't you have a seat. We'll be here a while."

Digger just dug a deeper hole by giving her a sneer and saying, "More dawdling so you don't have to work?"

Digger sat down and suddenly the black woman was on his lap and the door was opened and she was out. I was on her tail and I knew Alex had made it out, but there was no sign of Digger in the rear-view mirror. We made it back to Rangeman and when we got off on the 5th floor, Stephanie told Alex to give the files to Tank. Then we went to our work stations and sat at our desks. Stephanie gave Alex and I each a file and told us to do the search and outline what we would do to catch the skip. While we did this she worked on her own searches. We had been working for about 15 minutes when Ranger came to stand near her.

She looked up and smiled. Ranger lifted an eyebrow and asked, "Didn't Digger find you at the bonds office?"

"He did. He got tied up when we left. I'm sure he'll be along soon."

I narrowed my eyes and wondered why she didn't tell Ranger about Digger's behavior. When Ranger walked away shaking his head she turned her head back to her computer and met my gaze. She grimaced, "Ranger would beat him bloody for how he treats me. He deserves a fair chance to show he has what it takes. However, I'm beginning to wonder."

I nodded my head to let her know I heard. I don't like women as a rule, oh I have no issue of making use of their bodies, but that's all it ever is. However, I was beginning to think there was something special about the woman sitting at the desk close to mine. About the time Alex and I finished our searches, Digger came storming back to his cubicle near where we were seated. He stopped to lean his hands on the desk in front of Stephanie and snarled, "Do that again bitch and I don't care who your husband is I'm going to give you a bloody face."

Stephanie's eyes narrowed and she leaned in closer to Digger, "Talk to me like that again and I will ram your balls so far up they'll have to surgically remove them from your throat." She handed him a folder and continued, "Now, you have exactly 20 minutes to finish this search before we head to the conference room to devise a game plan in going after these four guys."

Digger snatched the folder out of her hand and gave her a vicious look before he got to work.

_Okay, in case you haven't caught on, Digger is a little on the SLOW side. I know you are probably saying fire his ass or let Ranger beat him bloody….but that would spoil ALL the fun. Digger is one of those people that has to have a house fall on him before he gets the message. We need to keep him around till Rambo and the girls show up. You'll see why…._


	30. Getting Started

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I try to respond to every review, but there have been some guest reviews as well as those who have PMing turned off. I want to let you know that I read all the reviews and appreciate all of them. **_

Chapter 30: Getting Started

Kallie's POV:

I saw him crouched watching. His eyes lit up when he saw Julie walk out of the building. The time had come and he wasn't going to waste any more time. I could hear his thoughts; The fool had gotten himself fired trying to take out the blonde giant and now he was having to move up the timetable. He knew the girl would be leaving town soon and he wanted to get her before she left. Otherwise he was going to have to ask his moron of a step brother to help him. He didn't want_ him_ anywhere near his Princess. She was almost where he needed her, just a little closer…_now!_

I sat bolt upright in bed wanting so badly to scream but knowing if I did it would alert more than just Julie. He was out there watching and waiting. I slipped out of bed and quickly slipped into jeans and a t-shirt before sitting on the bed to put my sandals on. I quickly brushed my hair and secured it in a ponytail. Our bags were packed and we had planned to take Julie's car which was parked out in front of the building. I knew we couldn't chance it. I grabbed the bags and made my way down to the back of the building where my '69 Mustang convertible was parked. I made sure there was no one watching before I made my way out to the car and placed our bags in the back. I stood for a moment with my hands on the car and knew no one had been back here to plant any surprises. I don't think he was aware I even owned a car. Wasting no time I made my way back up to our apartment and paused momentarily before rounding the corner to our front door. I peeked around to be sure it was clear and saw Rambo step up to the door.

My eyes narrowed for a second and then I knew why he was here. Rambo had wicked instincts and I knew he was sensing Julie was in trouble even though he didn't know where it was coming from. I watched as he picked the locks, only being slowed down by our latest addition. Hector had placed it while he was here a couple weeks ago. Once we were no longer in residence, someone from Rangeman Miami would come and recycle all the little extras in our apartment. I waited till he stepped inside and then I quietly went in behind him. The second I crossed the threshold he had my arms behind my back and an arm around my neck. His hold loosened the second he knew it was me.

I put a finger to my lips and picked up a tablet off the table close by. I wrote, _He's watching._ _He plans on grabbing Julie when we walk out the door at 8:30. I packed my car and we need to leave now. The man that attacked you is working with him but ruined things so he had to move up his timetable. I'm going to wake Julie and make it sound like we are getting ready to leave. I'll leave the water running and we will go out the back. Can you meet us at this gas station?_

Rambo nodded. He wrote; Be_ careful. Hit your panic button if you need to. I'll tell one of the guys to come over and sweep the apartment once we are safely away._

I nodded. He turned and headed back down to his car and I wrote a note for Julie and went into wake her up. I tore off several sheets to make sure there were no impressions left on the tablet and once Julie was awake I put my finger to my lips and handed her the paper. She scanned it quickly and then nodded. We continued to talk about our plans for the trip as she quickly dressed in an outfit similar to mine. Once we were ready Julie said she was going to take a shower and she carefully turned on the water. Cautiously so as not to make any sound, we made our way out of the apartment and down the back way to my car. I painstakingly made sure the car was still safe and we got under way. I went out of my way to stay away from the man watching the front of the building and reached the gas station where we were meeting Rambo 20 minutes later.

I pulled up to the pump and Rambo filled the tank with gas before going in and paying for both tanks of gas. When he came back out, I headed out into traffic with him following close behind us. We were 3 hours ahead of schedule. I figured we had maybe an hour before the stalker got suspicious unless Rambo had asked someone from Rangeman go shut off the water and make it look like we were still there. Either way, at the end of that hour I planned on being as far away from Miami as possible.

_Okay, they are on their way to Trenton. For all of you who reviewed, thank you for the laughs you gave me. I couldn't wait to get typing away so you would understand my reasons for keeping Digger around. It will become obvious soon so don't worry. And rest assured, someone will overhear something he says. They are going to get into this….and it ain't going to be pretty._


	31. The Girls Are In Town

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I try to respond to every review, but there have been some guest reviews as well as those who have PMing turned off. I want to let you know that I read all the reviews and appreciate all of them. **_

Chapter 31: The Girls Are In Town

Kallie's POV:

We made good time. We made three stops for meals on our way to Trenton. Our first stop was at McDonald's in Jacksonville, Florida. I pulled in and Julie and I used the facilities and then the three of us ordered our food. Julie and I each got a Big Mac Value Meal with a Coke, and Rambo got the double quarter pounder value meal. Once we had eaten, we drove to a gas station and Rambo filled up both cars, then we were underway once more.

The second stop was in Glen Allen Virginia at the Texas Roadhouse. We ordered fried pickles, cheese fries, and grilled shrimp for appetizers, and I ordered a 10 oz. Ft. Worth Ribeye, sweet potato and applesauce. Julie ordered the 8 oz. Dallas Fillet, baked potato and corn. Rambo ordered the 18 oz. T-bone, Caesar Salad and fresh vegetables. Once we were done eating, we walked around for about 15 minutes before we got back into our cars and drove to the nearest gas station. Once again Rambo filled the tanks with gas and we were on our way.

The third stop was at Nathan's Famous in Pedricktown, New Jersey. Everything looked so good and we were starving so we went a little overboard. I ordered a hot dog with chili and cheese, French fries with bacon and cheese, a bacon cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, pickle, mayo and ketchup, and krispy chicken tenders as well as beer batter onion rings. Julie and I figured we would share the meal and asked for a knife so we could cut the burger and hot dog. Rambo went all out. He got chili, cheese and red onion on his hot dog plus a double bacon cheeseburger with all the trimmings, A Philly's Cheesesteak steak supreme, and a Krispy chicken club salad, plus he shared our fries and onion rings. Once we had finished eating, we went to the nearest gas station and then headed to Trenton.

The closer we got to Haywood, the more anxious I got. There was something wrong but I couldn't put my finger on it. My hands were shaky and I felt like I was going to zone out but I fought it. I knew it would be too dangerous if I zoned out. I had to stay with it because I was driving. I decided to pull over and found a spot to park in and had just turned the car off when I felt myself drifting away. I felt his rage. He tore through the apartment and smashed the windows and tore the door of the hinges. He was furious. His only thought was making someone pay. The man who had been his eyes at Rangeman Miami walked into the room and he turned to face him. There was madness in his eyes as he walked towards the man and grabbed him by the throat. He squeezed with all the rage inside him and the man hung lifeless in his hands.

When the rage left him he knew the only way to make things turn out the way he wanted was to call his step brother. He hated him and didn't trust him, but he had no choice. He pulled out his phone and made the call. When the phone was answered on the other end he said, "They are on their way there. Don't touch my princess. The others you can do as you want. I'm on my way."

I blinked and found a worried Julie watching me and Rambo was standing beside the driver's side door. "He knows. He killed the man who tried to take you out. He's on his way here and he's working with someone at Rangeman."

Rambo pulled out his phone and punched in a number. When it was answered he said, "We are in Trenton. Julie's stalker will be headed this way and there is someone at Rangeman that is helping him."

Rambo paused and then replied, "Understood sir."

Rambo put his phone back in his pocket and turned to us. "Your dad wants us to go to the safe house in Point Pleasant."

I nodded and we headed to Point Pleasant. It was early morning by the time we got there. Rambo checked it out to make sure it was safe and we went in and headed for bed. That was the last conscious thought I had till morning.

_Any thoughts on who the step brother is?_


	32. More Family Ties Come To Light

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I try to respond to every review, but there have been some guest reviews as well as those who have PMing turned off. I want to let you know that I read all the reviews and appreciate all of them. **_

Chapter 32: More Family Ties Come To Light

Stephanie's POV:

I knew the girls were in Point Pleasant and I was excited to have them close. When Ranger told me there was someone at Rangeman that was helping Julie's stalker, I had a feeling I knew who the asshole was. I was determined to get this SOB so my girls could come home. I took the searches we had worked on and checked over the work the guys had done. Raven's search was the best, this guy had some awesome skills. Alex had most of the information but there were a couple points that he needed to work on or he would be wasting time looking for his skip. The worst of the searches was Digger's. All I could do with his was shake my head.

I made my way to the conference room to meet with the three guys. By the time Digger finished his search the day before it was too late to continue so I told them we'd go over them first thing today. I sat down and set the folders out on the table. I had told the guys to be here by 9:15 and I checked the clock to see they had another 5 minutes. At that moment Raven stepped through the door with Alex right behind him. They sat down and we started working, we didn't wait for Digger. We had talked over the searches and once Alex had read over the search that I had done he brought up the points where his search was lacking. He asked if he could have half an hour to complete the search and I smiled and gave him the go ahead.

It was nearly lunch time when Digger arrived at the conference room. I was alone in there at the time because Alex had come in and asked if Raven could show him how to get to the last site. I frowned as I saw Digger. Something about him made all the hair on my neck and arms stand up. He spoke softly so as not to be overheard, the look on his face made my skin crawl. "Well, well. So you got here before lunchtime hmmm?"

I gave him my best Burg glare and said, "I've been here since 9 a.m. You are the one who is late."

He smiled and it was a creepy, evil smile, "Yeah, well bitch, there's not anything you can do about it." He walked to stand right beside me.

My hand tightened around the object in my purse. Digger reached out his hand and made to touch my face and I brought the object up and hit the juice. Digger went down like a ton of rocks. When I looked up, Raven was standing there with his blank look on. I met his gaze and he winked at me. My eyes widened and Raven came over and knelt down beside Digger. After checking him over, he looked up at me and said, "I think you need to tell Ranger how he's been acting towards you."

I bit my lip and hesitated. At that moment Ranger stepped into the room and his eyes narrowed at the scene, "What's going on here?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes, "Digger has been saying some things, and just now he went to touch my face. I didn't want to worry you….."

The look on Ranger's face promised extreme pain was going to befall someone and I had a feeling Digger was going to be that someone. He turned and barked out, "Tank!"

Seconds later Tank was in the room. Ranger motioned to Digger, "Have this piece of shit taken to the holding cells."

"What did he do so I know who to assign to the detail?"

"He threatened Stephanie."

Tank grinned…well, I guess it was a grin but I'd never seen him look like that before. He walked over and grabbed Digger by the hair and hauled him up. Then he turned and walked out of the room. Ranger was smiling as he leaned down and kissed me. "In Tank's opinion, the only man capable of taking him downstairs is himself."

I thought I heard someone ask Tank what he was doing. He told them he was taking the garbage out. Someone else asked what the crime was and I heard Tank say, "He threatened Stephanie."

There were several growls and then a very loud _THUD! _Ranger grinned and said it sounded like Diggger made it down the stairs. My eyes widened and I said, "But we are 5 stories up."

Raven chuckled, "Serves the dumbass right."

Ranger turned to Raven, "Were you aware of him threatening my wife?"

Raven nodded, "Yes sir. She wanted to give him a chance so I just made sure she wasn't too close to him without backup. That's why I came back here, I saw Digger headed this way."

Ranger nodded. "I'll see you in a bit Babe. Tank and I have some work to do."

I put my hand on Ranger's arm, "I think he has something to do with Julie's stalker."

Ranger nodded, "I was thinking the same thing." Ranger kissed me and left the room.

Alex stepped in shaking his head, "Those guys are kinda scary. I think the big guy dropped Digger down 5 flights of stairs. Lester asked him why he did that. Tank told him because he threatened Bomber. All of a sudden they were all growling and they got these fierce looks on their faces. There was a rush to see who could get to the bottom of the stairs first. I think Hector won."

I rolled my eyes, "They won't hurt you Alex. You seem like a nice guy."

Alex looked at me and asked, "Did that asshole threaten you?"

I bit my lip and before I could say anything Raven said, "Yes he did."

Alex shook his head, "That dude has no brains. Remember how he kept saying he was the smart one in his family and he had a step brother that was a real psycho? He called him the son of Chucky and went on about how his dad was murdered by his Princess. He said she was promised to him and he went on and on about Digger helping him get his Princess."

I froze. Raven frowned and asked me gently, "What's wrong Stephanie? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Our daughter mentioned that name before. In connection with our other daughter's stalker."

Raven's eyes narrowed. He stepped out to the main floor and came back with his laptop. He set it in front of me and said, "Let's see what we can find."

We were still there three hours later when Ranger came back in. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "You three still at it?"

I nodded, "Did Digger tell you anything?"

Ranger paused, "He told us. There are still a lot of questions but he told us everything he knew."

I motioned to the computer screen and Ranger came over to stand behind me. He looked at the screen and said, "Son of a bitch!" Then he strode to the door and barked, "All hands on deck! Scrog's son is Julie's stalker!"


	33. Rage

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I try to respond to every review, but there have been some guest reviews as well as those who have PMing turned off. I want to let you know that I read all the reviews and appreciate all of them. **_

Chapter 33: Rage

Hector's POV:

When I heard Tank tell Lester that Digger had threatened Angel, I knew I was going to get to the bottom of the stairwell before the rest of the men. I knew Ranger wanted information from him and I knew I could get it. I also knew as soon as I got all I could from the bastard he would draw no more breaths. When I reached him I smiled at him. He was in major pain already and when he saw my smile he started begging and spilling his guts. I saw Ranger was there taking in the information. When we had all he could give us Ranger looked at me and told me Digger was mine. I smiled wider and Digger started screaming. When I finished with him I disposed of the body.

Unknown POV:

I tried to reach that asshole step brother of mine for about the hundredth time in the past three days and still no answer. What the hell was going on! I put the phone in my pocket in case he tried to get in touch with me finally, and went out to get something to eat. I was in Trenton and I had been watching the Rangeman building but I hadn't seen Digger going in or coming out. I headed to a small diner and sat down at a table with my back to the door. I ordered from the menu and waited for my meal to come. On my way back to my motel off route 1 I picked up a paper. I waited till I got to my room and sat on my bed to read the local news. I couldn't believe it when I saw Digger's picture and a caption that read:

_**Man found dead in dumpster on Stark Street.**__ No leads have come to light into the identity of a man found dead in a dumpster behind Junior's Bar on Stark Street. Local bar owner Thomas Greedy said he came out and found the dead body early in the morning on the 23__rd__. There was no sign of a fight and all video footage has been viewed and no clues have been found. Police are calling it a random act and the case is officially considered a cold case._

I was furious! How could he do this to me! He was supposed to keep things under control until I had my princess! I stood and the furry inside me came boiling up to the surface and I started throwing things and smashing things. I was unable to control my rage. When I finished, I was sitting on the floor exhausted. I crawled over to the mattress and fell asleep.

Julie's POV:

I was enjoying our time in Point Pleasant, but I was angry that this bastard was making us hide. I couldn't help but remember that day Scrog took me when I read Stephanie's email that it was Scrog's son stalking me. I wanted to shoot the SOB just like I did his father. I tried holding the feelings inside, but Kallie knew how I was feeling. She tried hard not to eavesdrop, but I could see in her eyes that she knew exactly how I felt.

Rambo spent the past few days trying to take my mind off what was going on beyond our own little safe house. I was drawn to him. Every time I got close to him I just wanted to rip his clothes off and jump him. When he touches me I feel a jolt all the way through my body. His smile lights up my world. He's always trying to make me smile. I was starting to come out of my mood when I was picked up from behind and found myself being carried to the edge of the deck and flying through the air, strong arms still around me as I hit the water. When I came up it was to find Rambo treading water beside me.

"What was that for?"

"You looked too serious. Lighten up Julie." He caressed my cheek with his hand and his eyes darkened with determination, "I'm not letting him near you." He bent his head and his mouth covered mine. My arms went around him and as we kissed we went under the water, only coming back up when our air had run out.

We swam for a while before climbing out of the water and heading up to the house. I headed to my room to change. When I came back down Kallie was sitting on the sofa and Rambo was seated in a chair not far away. I stopped and watched the way they talked and smiled. Rambo treated her much like an older brother would. He was incredibly gentle with her but I felt no jealousy. I liked that he treated her gently. With all the things she was forced to watch, I wanted to protect her as much as possible and it was nice to see Rambo treated her much the way I did. I heard a car pull up outside and went to look out the window to see who it might be. When I saw dad and Stephanie get out of the Turbo my smile grew by leaps and bounds. There was another car that pulled up beside them and a gorgeous male specimen stepped out of the car and followed them towards the house.

_Any guesses on who it is and what's going on?_


	34. Impressions

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I try to respond to every review, but there have been some guest reviews as well as those who have PMing turned off. I want to let you know that I read all the reviews and appreciate all of them. **_

Chapter 34: Impressions

Raven's POV:

I followed the boss and his wife to Point Pleasant. I was going to stay to help offer protection to their daughters. I had gear in the car but I'd wait till they left before carrying the stuff in. I wasn't looking forward to babysitting. The front door opened and I frowned when I saw the beautiful young woman who flew from the house into the boss's arms. He caught her and swung her around before setting her down. Two more people stepped into the doorway, a tall blonde male and another female that was mostly hidden behind the male. We made our way to the house and entered. Ranger made the introductions. I learned the tall blonde was Rambo and from the way he was looking at the young woman beside Ranger I had the impression he was hooked. Ranger's enthusiastic greeter was his daughter Julie. The other female was their second daughter Kallie. I turned to her and my eyes widened. She was the most strikingly, stunningly beautiful creature I had ever seen. I slowly looked her over from the top of her head to her feet and felt my body's instant reaction. Shit! I so didn't need this reaction to complicate things. Although I wouldn't mind screwing her, that's all I wanted form her.

I watched as Kallie's eyes narrowed and she glared at me. I frowned wondering what I had done to piss her off when I hadn't even said anything to her yet. I smiled mockingly at her and she got even more pissed. I ignored her and concentrated on what Ranger was saying. Apparently they would stay through lunch and then they planned heading back to Trenton. Stephanie took her bag and went with the girls to change so they could enjoy swimming. Ranger and I sat and planned out a strategy with Rambo. When the ladies came back through to get to the deck, I noticed Rambo and Ranger seemed to be distracted by Stephanie and Julie walking through the room. I smirked until I saw Kallie dressed in her suit a couple seconds later and my eyes darkened with desire as I thought about wrapping my arms around her and pleasuring us both. I thought I heard her say, "In your dreams." but I couldn't be sure.

Kallie's POV:

I was so excited when I knew mom and dad were here. I know we had just seen them at graduation, but I missed them. I was up and on my way to the door when I froze in my tracks because I felt_ his_ presence. Rambo saw my reaction and thinking there was danger he took the lead and when we reached the door I found myself behind his massive frame. Once Rambo saw there was no danger, he relaxed. We waited for them to reach us and then we moved back so they could enter. I knew by the way Rambo and Julie looked at each other that things had changed between them. Daddy made the introductions and although Raven didn't say anything, I could read his thoughts as clear as day. He was willing to screw me and toss me away. Well buddy you aren't being given the chance. You may be hot and gorgeous but I'm not a toy to be used and thrown away. I narrowed my eyes and glared at him.

Mom suggested we change and take a swim so we went to our room and got ready. I had three suits to choose from and I chose the one that would cover the most of my body. I wasn't going to chance the two bikinis. Once we were dressed we headed for the deck. I laughed silently at Rambo and dad's reaction to mom and Julie. The guys were definitely distracted. Then I turned to Raven and noticed his eyes were dark with desire and I saw the picture in his mind of us wrapped together while he used his mouth on me. I stiffened and said, "In your dreams." There was no way I was getting that close to him. _Jerk!_ We continued out and dove into the water. It wasn't long before the guys were joining us. We all swam for a while and then I heard mom's stomach growl which was a sign that it was lunch time. We climbed out of the water and headed in to change before fixing something for lunch. I was the first one in the shower so I was dressed before mom or Julie. I told them I'd go get lunch started and headed to the kitchen.

I had just taken the dish of meatballs out of the fridge to pop in the microwave when Raven walked into the kitchen. I ignored him, instead continuing to get our meal together. I set the timer and temp on the microwave and while the meatballs were cooking I got out the bread and sliced it so we could make subs. I placed slices of cheese on the bottom and put them into the oven to warm so the cheese would be slightly melted. Next I got out the big bowl of salad and added cucumber, green pepper, tomato, red onion, black olives, and hard boiled eggs. I took out the dressings and carried them through to the table; we had cucumber, ranch, French, thousand island, and Italian dressings. I took the bread from the oven and set it on the counter to cool while I got out the bowls and silverware. Raven was still standing there watching me so I stopped and glared at him. Thrusting the dishes and silverware into his hands I told him to make himself useful. His eyes ran over me and darkened with desire. He told me he could think of a much more pleasant way to make himself useful. I glared and told him he was dreaming if he thought I was going to be his toy.

A few minutes later Julie joined me as I was taking the meatballs out of the oven. She carried the bread through to the table and I got the meatballs. We called the others to join us and we started on lunch. As we were finishing up, dad dropped a bomb by telling us Raven would be staying to help keep us safe. My eyes went to his and widened. He smiled….well; more like smirked and nodded his head in my direction.


	35. A Necessary Move

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I try to respond to every review, but there have been some guest reviews as well as those who have PMing turned off. I want to let you know that I read all the reviews and appreciate all of them. There was someone who was kind enough to review chapter 32 of this story today and in maneuvering the mouse to click on reply, the message disappeared. I don't like when my mouse deletes things before I get to respond. Whoever you were, thank you and I'm sorry you didn't get a response.**_

Chapter 35: A Necessary Move

Kallie's POV:

Once mom and dad left, I did my best to stay out of Raven's sight. I used the time to work on my computer tweaking a few things. When it was late enough, I got ready for bed and tried to sleep. It took a while to fall asleep, and my sleep was restless. Suddenly, without warning he was there. I shook my head trying to get away but he was too strong. He was going to win this time. I felt the madness and tried making myself small but he saw me and he was coming closer. I saw him looming up out of the water with that mad look on his face as he reached for Julie and dragged her back under the water with him. I panicked when they didn't come back up. Suddenly I sat up screaming at the top of my lungs. I felt hands reaching for me and I struck out. Whoever was there was too strong and they soon overpowered me. Realizing my eyes were shut tight I opened them and screamed again.

Raven pulled me into his arms and spoke soothingly too me in some language I didn't recognize. His hand gently rubbed up and down my back trying to soothe me. When I finally quieted, I noticed Julie and Rambo were also there. Julie looked worried and I couldn't control the tears that suddenly fell. I stiffened and pushed away from Raven. I looked around sure he was here with us or would be soon. He knew where we were. I don't know how he found us, but he was coming. I turned to Julie and said, "He knows where we are. I saw him come up out of the water and drag you back down. You didn't come back up."

Julie pulled me into her arms, "I'm fine Kallie."

We looked at each other and Rambo put his hand on Julie's shoulder, "We need to leave. Its too dangerous here now."

Raven frowned, "It was just a dream."

I looked at Raven and knew he believed what he was saying. Julie shook her head. "Kallie's never wrong. She sees things others don't."

Raven's eyes narrowed on me and I could see the disbelief in his eyes. I felt myself go out of focus and I saw a little boy watching silently as his mother dressed to go out. He asked her not to go and she sneered and told him there was nothing to keep her at home. Nothing of value that is. I watched as the boy watched her walk out the door and then he went over to the window and watched her drive away. The sad look in his eyes tore at my heart. The view started to grow dim as I felt myself drifting back to the present. I looked up into Raven's eyes and gently touched his cheek. "She was wrong. The most valuable thing in the world was in that house."

His eyes narrowed and he looked at me like he was looking inside my soul. Then his eyes narrowed and he said, "Nice trick, but I'm not buying into it sweetheart."

I shook my head, "I know. You won't believe me. Its okay. Rambo trusts my word."

Raven smirked, "Too bad Rambo is interested in your sister."

I frowned, "I'm not interested in Rambo in that way and you're being rude. They're right here in the room with us."

Raven released me and stood. "I'm going back to sleep. Catch you in the morning."

"We won't be here in the morning. We have to leave right now. If we wait any longer he'll find us."

Raven mockingly asked me, "And where do you suggest we go?"

"We have to go to Haywood. It's the only place that's safe right now."

Julie stood, "I'll start packing."

Raven shook his head and mumbled something about crazy people. Three hours later we were headed back to Trenton. When we pulled into the garage at Haywood, we had barely gotten out of the car when dad and Tank were exiting the stairwell and stalking towards us. Dad looked at me and asked, "What's going on?"

I rushed forward and he enveloped me in his arms. I couldn't control the sobs. He was so real and I was having a hard time dealing with his memory in my mind. Ranger wrapped me in his arms and spoke to me in Spanish. I felt safe and loved. "I saw him come up out of the water and he dragged Julie back down with him. He knew where we were. It wasn't safe anymore."

He comforted me and told me we'd be safe now. We grabbed our bags and headed up to the penthouse. Raven headed to his apartment on 4 and Tank gave Rambo a key fob and told him where he would find his apartment. When Julie, dad and I walked into the apartment, mom asked what was going on so we clued her in as well. The more people watching Julie's back the better because this guy was a truly sick individual.

Unknown POV:

I found my princess. I finally knew where she was. Point Pleasant. I was on my way there now. In just a few more minutes I would have her with me forever. I had it all planned. I would swim out to meet her in the water and take her down to the bottom with me where we would live forever. I parked the car and made my way towards the house where I knew they were staying. I slipped inside and went through the house looking for signs of my princess. The place seemed abandoned. I was furious. Somehow they had spirited her away from me once again.

_How about that Margaret...two chapters in one day. Enjoy._


	36. Restless

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I try to respond to every review, but there have been some guest reviews as well as those who have PMing turned off. I want to let you know that I read all the reviews and appreciate all of them. **_

Chapter 36: Restless

Julie's POV:

I couldn't sleep. I was restless with having to stay inside. The only one who seemed to understand how Kallie and I were feeling locked inside all day was Stephanie. I slipped out of bed and pulled on a pair of running shorts and a tank top. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and headed down to the gym. I needed to get rid of the excess energy. I set the treadmill and started out at a slow run. I had just gotten into my rhythm when I caught sight of Rambo out of the corner of my eye. He stepped over to the machine next to me and started his own run. By the time I was ready to climb off the machine, Rambo was finishing his own run. I noticed in the time it took me to run 5 miles he had doubled the distance on his machine.

Rambo stepped off his machine and asked if I wanted to join him for coffee. I shrugged but followed him as he led the way up to his apartment on 4. When he opened the door, I looked around and noticed it was a nice place even though it didn't hold a candle to the penthouse. Rambo told me to have a seat and he'd get the coffee going. I sat down and leaned my head back. Suddenly I felt hands gently massaging my neck and shoulders. I moaned in pleasure at the feel of his hands. When I opened my eyes a moment later to look up into his face, his eyes were dark with desire. I felt a matching desire wash over me. He leaned down and covered my mouth with his and the kiss he bestowed on me had me moaning and leaning closer to the pleasure he was creating in my body.

Just as it was getting good his phone rang. I was hoping he would ignore it but no such luck. He pulled away and answered his phone, "Hello?" From the way he paused and his eyes darted to me, I had a feeling it was my dad on the other end of the phone. His next words confirmed my suspicion. "I understand sir. No sir, I'll send her right up."

He disconnected the call and gave me a wry smile. "That was your dad. He wants me to send you upstairs now."

I grinned, "He just doesn't want me to have any fun." I stood and headed for the door. When I got to the door I turned and gave him my best sultry look and told him, "I guess you were saved by the ring of the phone." I licked my lips and continued, "See you soon big guy."

I quickly slipped out the door because the sudden look of lust told me if I didn't get out of there right away I wasn't getting out at all. I ran up the stairs to the apartment and when I walked in, dad was standing there with his arms folded across his chest. He raised an eyebrow when I walked in and he asked, "So what's going on between you and Rambo?"

I felt like a deer caught in headlights. Before I could say anything Stephanie walked in. She smiled and said, "Well you two sure are up early."

Dad didn't take his eyes off me as he reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist. She leaned her head on his shoulder. I sighed and rolled my eyes. Stephanie laughed and I gave her a puzzled look. She shook her head and said, "I've corrupted you and Kallie. You both have the eye roll down pat."

I grinned because I realized she was right and Kallie and I did indeed have her eye roll down to a science. I turned to head to my room thinking I might have escaped but no luck. Dad's next words once again stopped me in my tracks, "You still haven't answered my question. What's between you and Rambo?"

I shrugged, "Nothing really, we're just getting to know each other."

"I've already told the men they aren't to fraternize with you and Kallie."

I frowned. My gaze went from him to Stephanie and then back, "Gee dad, I appreciate you looking out for us, but I think Kallie and I are old enough to make those decisions for ourselves."

Stephanie looked up into dad's face and said, "Julie's right Ranger. You can't stop them from getting involved with someone because they work for you. Besides, who better to watch out for the girls than one of your own men?"

Dad frowned and his eyes narrowed. "All right you two, I know when I'm outnumbered." He sighed and kissed Steph on the lips.

While he was otherwise occupied I headed into my room and headed for the shower. I had just dressed for the day and was getting ready to head to the kitchen when my phone rang. I answered it and smiled as I recognized Rambo's voice. He asked if I wanted to have dinner with him and I told him I would love to. When he ended the call I made my way out to the kitchen and was surprised to see Kallie dressed and waiting for me. She gave me a knowing grin and said, "He knocks your socks off when he kisses you doesn't he?"

We both burst out laughing.


	37. Time to Recover

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I try to respond to every review, but there have been some guest reviews as well as those who have PMing turned off. I want to let you know that I read all the reviews and appreciate all of them. **_

Chapter 37: Time to Recover

Kallie's POV:

I sat up in bed gasping for breath. I looked frantically around only relaxing when I saw I was in my bed at Haywood. I didn't know how much longer I could continue staying open all the time. It hurt too much to be open to all those emotions and know what everyone was thinking, both good and bad. Although dad and the guys who had been at Rangeman from the time I came here were more adept at keeping me out, there were a whole new batch that had no clue just how much of their thoughts I could see. Once my breathing and heart rate returned to normal, I realized I wouldn't be getting back to sleep. I knew Julie was in Rambo's apartment and although I was still monitoring her safety, Rambo was able to keep me out of his bedroom for which I was extremely grateful. With Julie gone though, I was going to have to head down to the gym to work this out on my own.

I slipped out of bed and put on a pair of shorts and a sports bra with a tank top over it. I slipped on my running shoes and brushed my hair before pulling it back into a ponytail. A quick trip into the bathroom to brush my teeth and I was headed to the gym. When I opened the door, I was surprised to find Raven was already in there on the stair climber. After sending a glance his way, I walked over to the treadmill and climbed onto it. After setting the controls I started my run. I tried finding that zone where everything was shut down for a time but I was having no luck in finding it. Maybe because I was having to fight so hard against the emotions Raven was pulling from me. I saw it all from the time he was a small child till he became the man working out a few feet from me. Then I saw even further back to the shaman inside of him.

I felt drained all of a sudden and the world went dark.

Raven's POV:

I was aware of Kallie coming in and getting on the treadmill. I watched her out of the corner of my eye as she started her run. She had a nice form and kept up a steady pace. I turned my focus back to my machine and increased my workout. I needed a distraction to pull me outside my mind. I didn't want to focus on the past. There was too much emotion in the past. I thought back to my paternal grandfather. When I had learned who my father was I had gone to see him but I was too late. He was already dead. I did however meet my grandfather. He talked of the Shaman inside of me. I never paid much attention to his ramblings though and I soon left the reservation in search of my future.

I was pulled from my thoughts when I noticed Kallie collapse on the treadmill. I climbed off my machine and moved over to check on her. I knelt down and checked her for a pulse. It was there, but it was weak. I frowned. There was no reason for her to collapse, what the hell? I made the decision to move her and carefully lifted her slight weight into my arms and carried her out of the gym and up to 3 where the infirmary was. I pressed a buzzer when I entered to alert Bobby someone was here. I had just laid Kallie on the exam table when Bobby came hurrying in.

Bobby took one look at Kallie and turned to me and demanded, "What happened?"

"She was on the treadmill and just collapsed."

He had been checking her vitals and when I told him about her collapsing, he bent his head momentarily and muttered, "_SHIT_!"

Ranger's voice sounded from behind us, "She's on emotional overload."

Bobby nodded. "Yeah. But there's no place we can take her in the building that will change anything."

As I stood there looking down at her I couldn't help but think of how defenseless she seemed. She was such a little thing. I debated what I was about to do…but when she turned restlessly and her innocent face turned to me, I decided it was necessary. I looked up at Ranger and said, "I can give her the cocoon she needs to recover."

Ranger and Bobby looked at me. Bobby frowned, "How?"

I grimaced, "My grandfather was a Shaman. He taught me some exercises when I visited him. I didn't appreciate his lessons and did what I could to block him. On his deathbed he called me a vacuum. When I asked him what that meant he mumbled something about my blocking out more than just him. He said I had managed to create a vacuum around us that not only stopped him from getting in, but that it also stopped him from reaching outside the bubble I created."

Ranger and Bobby exchanged looks and Ranger nodded, "Its worth a try. We don't have any other options." Then he turned to me, "Just remember she's my daughter."

I nodded. I lifted Kallie in my arms and headed up to my apartment. Ranger walked with us and took Kallie while I unlocked the door. I could tell he was reluctant to release her back to me. He looked into my eyes as he handed her back and said, "Don't hurt her. She's been through a lot in her young life. Don't make things worse for her."

"I'll watch out for her while she's out."

He nodded and left. I carried her through to my bedroom and laid her on the bed. She shivered so I gently covered her with the blanket. She started moving restlessly as if seeking something in her sleep. Taking a deep breath I decided to lie next to her to see if I could settle her. She stilled when I crawled in next to her and the next second she had turned and was lying flush against my front. I felt a stirring but forced my mind away from that. She was vulnerable and I wasn't taking advantage of her. I allowed her to stay where she was and I closed my eyes to create the vacuum to help her.

Kallie's POV:

I smiled as I enjoyed the first restful sleep I'd had in months. I snuggled closer to the warmth and sighed. I moved my hand up beside my head and rubbed it over the space beside my face. I stilled as I felt the rise and fall of my pillow. Then a delicious, masculine scent filled my senses and I had the feeling it wasn't a pillow beneath me. I opened my eyes and encountered the most gorgeous pair of eyes I'd ever seen. I stiffened. Raven smiled and I gasped. It felt like I just touched a live electrical current. Shit! I had the feeling I was in trouble here.


	38. A Talk With the Boss

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I try to respond to every review, but there have been some guest reviews as well as those who have PMing turned off. I want to let you know that I read all the reviews and appreciate all of them. **_

Chapter 38: A Talk With the Boss

Kallie's POV:

I scrambled up into a sitting position and asked, "How did I get here?"

Raven remained laying on his side facing me with his hand propping his head. "You blacked out. Bobby and your father said you needed a place to recover without the added emotions."

I narrowed my eyes and reached out. Once I was sure Julie was okay I ventured out further and feeling for now everything was right with the world, I turned back to Raven and asked, "And you were overcome with the sudden need to be nice to me?"

Raven laughed. "Actually, I saw a way to get on your dad's good side and took it."

I grimaced. "Its really quiet here."

"My grandfather calls it a vacuum."

"Your paternal grandfather the Shaman?"

Raven's gaze narrowed on me. "How do you know that?"

"He visited last night. He asked if I was the one to heal you."

Raven sat up and moved away from me. His voice was like ice when he said, "Stop the bullshit! My grandfather wasn't here."

I frowned, "But the Eagle and the Grey Hawk walked many paths through the night. Its the one time he can come to you when you'll accept him. It amuses him that you are an Eagle but everyone calls you Raven. He likes your given name better Daniel."

Raven turned to face me and he was furious. "How did you learn my name? _No one_ calls me by _that_ name. _Ever_."

I flinched as he advanced on me. He stilled suddenly and I felt myself shaking. Raven took a deep breath and softened his tone, "I didn't mean to frighten you. I won't hurt you, but you surprised me."

"I'm sorry I upset you. Its a jumble of words and visions and I might have gotten it wrong. Grey Hawk….."

Once again Raven spun around and the look on his face had me stopping in my tracks. "Who did you say?"

"Grey Hawk. He was here last night. He used some kind of powder that he sprinkled over me while he chanted. He told me of the story of his grandson, the one who was born in another world but came searching for answers. Grey Hawk said the answers were in the other world for Daniel. That he would meet his wounded mate and need to keep her safe by creating a vacuum that would heal her soul."

Raven looked at me funny but said nothing and moments later he was turning away. After a few moments he said, "I hope you were able to rest. Your father and Bobby thought it was what you needed. I'd love to stay and talk more, but I'm following your mom around today. Apparently Rambo and Alex will be joining us as well."

I grimaced, "Julie and I are stuck here for a bit longer." I looked to Raven and studied him for a minute before turning and heading through the apartment to the door.

I was opening the door when Raven said, "Kallie…."

I didn't turn around and I didn't stop. I continued out the door and then hurried to the stairwell and raced up to the penthouse. I raced through the apartment and threw myself onto my bed just as huge sobs racked my body.

Raven's POV:

I didn't know how she'd found out about my past, but I wasn't believing that she had a second sight. She was my boss's daughter and I would treat her as such. She would be nothing to me. I showered and dressed before going in search of the others. The three of us rode with Stephanie and it was easy enough keeping up with her. We managed to catch three skips and the last one threw a few punches. I was glad of the chance to show some aggression and by the time we got him to the police station he was sporting some fresh bruises. I kept my eyes open and my mouth shut. By the time we got back to Rangeman, I had gotten over the funk I had been in all morning. When Stephanie parked, we all got out and headed for the stairs. Of course Steph headed for the elevator. We got to the 5th floor before her but I don't think it mattered much to her.

When we stepped out onto the Comm room floor, Ranger was standing there waiting. His gaze drilled me and I stiffened. Ranger's tone was deadly as he said, "My office Raven."

I walked into Ranger's office and the door slammed behind us. Ranger motioned to the sofa and I sat down. "What the hell did you do to my daughter Raven?"

"I did nothing sir. I made sure she was able to rest and recover from everything that's been thrown at her lately. I just don't happen to believe she can read minds or hear thoughts."

"So why has she spent the day in her room crying?"

It felt like he'd dealt me a lethal blow to my heart. I shook my head, "I don't know sir."

He stared at me for several seconds before he came over and sat down in the chair across from me. "Kallie was 7 years old when I first met her. She came to me first in my mind. Then when Stephanie and I showed up at her home, she trusted us from the beginning. She saved our lives countless times. While we were escaping, she was a witness to her real father's death. She was physically with us, but in her mind she watched as he was murdered."

I looked at him in stunned horror. "Its hard for me to accept psychic mumbo jumbo. My grandfather used to try and convince me it was out there and that he could talk with spirits. I didn't believe him. I don't mean any disrespect sir, but its hard to believe your daughter can see into other people."

Ranger shrugged, "I've seen it firsthand. She's never wrong. Whether you believe it or not, don't hurt her again or I'll wipe the floor with your ass."

I nodded, "Yes sir."

Ranger narrowed his eyes and nodded, "Dismissed."


	39. Linked

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I try to respond to every review, but there have been some guest reviews as well as those who have PMing turned off. I want to let you know that I read all the reviews and appreciate all of them. **__Special thanks to _Barb4psu. _I think you know why._

Chapter 39: Linked

Kallie's POV:

I spent most of the day locked in my room crying. My emotions were all over the place thanks to Raven. I felt so much whenever I was around him and I had to fight not only my attraction to him but his dislike of all that I was. He didn't want to accept what I was capable of because if he acknowledged my abilities, he'd have to acknowledge his own skills. Once the tears stopped I slipped off the bed and got out the photo book that mom and dad had made for me. Mom had gone through a lot of trouble hunting down all the pictures and putting them in the album. I liked to take it out whenever my emotions got the best of me and remember my other parents. I always felt a warm glow from them at times like this. I had avoided it at first when Stephanie had given me the album. But once when she caught me looking at it and smiling, she'd come over and taken me in her arms. She told me she put the album together so I would always have something to remember my other parents by. She and Ranger wanted me to remember the love they had for me and they didn't mind sharing me with them because there was enough love to go around.

When I turned the last page, I felt them beside me. There was another presence there as well. I smiled and said hello to Grey Hawk. He smiled and told me a story. I nodded when he finished, finally understanding my dreams of the day before. When I closed the album I felt at peace. I put the album away and went into the bathroom and took a shower. I dressed in jeans, a green blouse and running shoes. I brushed my hair and pulled my hair back into a ponytail. I added a light dusting of makeup and headed downstairs to the 5th floor. I was on my way to dad's office when I saw the door open and Raven walked out followed by dad. I smiled and did a finger wave. I was just about to tell dad hi when all of a sudden I felt a crushing weight of rage.

I sank to the floor at the weight of the rage. The emotions and feelings raining down on me were suffocating. My eyes lost focus and suddenly I was flying in the sky. I came to a clearing I recognized but couldn't place. I was tossed in the wind and started spinning, not able to find my way back. Suddenly I felt something take hold of my hand and my arm felt warm. I clung to the warmth and felt myself righted so I could control where I was going once again. I looked down and saw the reason his rage was so overpowering. He had found the door and was trying to use it to get to his princess. There was only one thing to do to keep her safe. I slammed the door shut and locked it. Grey Hawk came to me and spoke an ancient song to keep the evil out. When he was done he told me I had done the right thing. I could still go beyond the door but I must use my conduit. He would carry me safely. I questioned how I would know who the conduit was. Grey Hawk looked at me and moved his arm out to the side, motioning to the approaching figure of Raven.

Our eyes locked and at that moment I felt myself coming back to reality. I opened my eyes and looked into Raven's eyes. There was recognition there as well as denial. He stood and lifted me gently in his arms. I was aware of my dad telling him that he'd take me. Raven locked gazes with him and said, "You can't. We are linked. If you take her, she may never find her way back."

With that he turned and stalked towards the elevator and headed for his apartment.

Raven's POV:

I walked out of Ranger's office and I spotted Kallie. I felt a jolt in my chest and smiled inwardly as she did the little finger wave Stephanie was always doing. She suddenly sank to the ground and I was aware of the concerned voices around us but knew I needed to be the one to reach her first. I knelt on the floor beside her and took hold of her arm. I was stunned at the warmth radiating up my arm. Suddenly I was pulled in and I felt an intense rage like nothing I had ever felt before. I saw Kallie flying out of control and I used the connection of our hands to ground her so she could regain control. She found the control and I looked down to see what she was looking at. I recognized the place where we were. Kallie slammed the door and I saw Grey Hawk appear and sing the song of the ancients. He was sealing the door so it couldn't be opened. He told her she could still travel beyond the door but she would need her conduit. When she asked how she would know who that was, Grey Hawk lifted his arm motioning to me. I walked towards them and knew I could no longer deny my destiny. Our eyes locked and for the first time in my life I felt complete. I wanted to deny it, but her eyes opened and I had to recognize the truth. I stood and lifted her in my arms. Ranger told me he'd take her and I turned and locked gazes with him before replying, "You can't. We're linked. If you take her, she may never find her back."

Ranger drilled me with his gaze and I nodded to him. I knew what he was telling me. I nodded and headed for the elevator. I was taking her to my apartment where I would be able to complete the ritual.


	40. The Ritual

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I try to respond to every review, but there have been some guest reviews as well as those who have PMing turned off. I want to let you know that I read all the reviews and appreciate all of them. **_

Chapter 40: The Ritual

Raven's POV:

Kallie was a wake, but she wasn't totally here. I gently laid her on my bed and lay down beside her. I kept the contact with her hand, knowing it was the path to allow her back to herself. I closed my eyes and spoke the ancient words my grandfather taught me. I felt her presence grow stronger and stronger as I neared the end of the song. Finally, Kallie sighed and I knew she was back in her body. I took my free hand and touched her forehead. I spoke more words as my hand caressed down her cheek and I finished the linking ceremony. Part of ourselves would be forever linked together. Although I didn't like it, I knew it was the only way to save her. I fought against believing because I knew somehow that our paths would be forever linked. But in that moment when I saw her fall and witnessed her confusion and yes, even terror and what she was seeing; I knew I would do whatever I had to so I could protect her.

I lifted up so I could better see her and her eyes met mine. I saw the recognition and knew she also could see the recognition as well as the denial in my own. After years of shoring up the walls and keeping all others out, I lowered the walls for her because I knew she needed me in a way no one else ever could. Nor would they understand. Kallie placed both her palms on my cheeks and whispered softly, "We are linked." My eyes darkened with arousal but I held myself in check. I would not use her body like the others I had used in the past. We were linked, but I would guard against letting her give herself to me until she was in control of herself. There were actually two linking ceremonies. Usually the first was a wedding ceremony that would link our souls. The second linking ceremony could happen with anyone that was a match for the Shaman. He was the conduit in which they would be able to travel from one world to another.

When the Shaman was married, all secondary linking ceremonies lost all sexual bonding because the ties to the mate were the strongest. Since I wasn't married, whenever we were linked, Kallie would be vulnerable to me. I knew I could protect her even from myself. I held her and allowed her to recuperate from the journey she had been on. When she was ready we would talk. I looked at her innocent face and felt a stirring. Determined to protect her even from myself I chanted the words that would bind my actions so I could never take advantage.

Kallie's eyes closed and she slept peacefully in my arms for hours. I stayed with her and when she started moving around I opened my eyes and saw her smiling at me. She caressed my cheek and gave me a puzzled look, "I feel…connected."

"We're linked. It was the only way for you to get back."

"You're my conduit."

I nodded. She kissed me on the lips and I felt the jolt to my very soul. I remained motionless. She stopped and studied my eyes. "You're protecting me."

"You're vulnerable right now. I just insured I wouldn't take advantage."

She nodded. "He found a way in and I couldn't fight him…he was too strong."

"Who?"

Her eyes met mine, "It's more than before, he's still the son of Chucky. But there someone else there now too."

I paused but as if she sensed what I was thinking she frowned and asked, "What?"

"I recognized the location where you were."

"It seemed familiar to me as well but I can't place it."

"Don't worry, when the time is right all the pieces will fall into place."

We got up and I cooked us both something to eat. We spent the time in companionable silence and once she was ready, I walked her back to the penthouse apartment. Ranger drilled me with his gaze when he opened the door. I nodded and told him she was fine. He wrapped Kallie in his arms and kissed her head.


	41. Beginnings

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I try to respond to every review, but there have been some guest reviews as well as those who have PMing turned off. I want to let you know that I read all the reviews and appreciate all of them. **_

Chapter 41: Beginnings

Julie's POV:

I woke up at 4 a.m. and dressed before heading down to the gym. I was feeling restless again. I walked into the gym and noticed Rambo was already in there working on the Stairmaster. He was going at a good clip and I headed for the treadmill closest to him. I climbed on and started running. I was nearing the end of my run when I felt eyes on me. I turned and saw Rambo was talking to Alex. The eyes I felt were Alex's. He had a knowing look on his face that put me on the defensive. I shut down the machine and stepped off. Alex smiled and sent me a nod. He was flirting which I ignored and went over to the rowing machine. Alex said something to Rambo I couldn't hear and suddenly Alex was up in the air with a very pissed off Rambo telling him if he didn't learn some respect he was going to have to teach him the hard way. Alex put his hands up in the air and said he didn't know it was like that and he was sorry. Rambo dropped him and walked over the treadmill next to me.

I nodded my head in Alex's direction and asked, "What was that all about?"

Rambo's face was blank as he looked at me, "Nothing to be concerned about. His manners are lacking is all."

"Uh huh."

As we continued our work out I saw Alex shake his head and head to the locker room. About 20 minutes later I was ready for a shower myself. I climbed off my machine and headed for the door. Rambo came up beside me and asked, "Would you like to come to my place for some breakfast?"

I paused and my eyes met his. I knew he was asking for more than breakfast. "I need a shower first. I could meet you in say 35 minutes."

Rambo nodded. He handed me a key fob, "You'll need this to get in."

We stared at each other for a few minutes before I smiled and told him I'd see him in a few. I hurried up to 7 and showered, shampooed, shaved, dressed and added makeup before heading back down to the 4th floor and Rambo's apartment. I used the key fob to enter the room. I heard sounds of a shower running so I headed into the kitchen and looked through the fridge to see if I could help get breakfast started. I had just taken the eggs, bacon, and butter from the fridge when Rambo came up behind me and took the items out of my hands. He turned me to him and our mouths fused together in the hottest, most passionate kiss I'd ever experienced.

After several seconds, Rambo set me away from him and told me not to tempt him or we'd never eat. I laughed and said, "Look who's talking."

He grinned and we worked together to make omelets with green pepper, onion, tomato, black olive, cheese and crumpled bacon. I had toast in the toaster and there was bacon frying in the pan as well. When the meal was ready, Rambo served it up and we sat down to eat. The omelet was the best I'd ever eaten. I learned today was Rambo's day off and he asked if I wanted to spend it with him. I told him that wouldn't be fair to him because I couldn't leave the building.

Rambo took my chin in his hand and looked into my eyes, "I don't care. We can stay right here. I just want to spend the day with you."

I hesitated, but I wanted this more than anything so I agreed. We cleared the table and Rambo led the way into the living room where the TV and sofa were located. We sat watching a movie until lunchtime and then we cooked lunch together. In the afternoon we played a game of chess and ate popcorn. There was a game on that night so we agreed to eat in front of the TV. It was a perfect day and I had so much fun. The game was nearly over when Rambo turned to me and took me in is arms. I knew where this was leading, and I knew I wanted this as much as he did. I took out my phone and sent a text to Stephanie before setting my phone on the coffee table and relaxing in Rambo's arms. Our mouths fused in passion and he continued the kiss as he picked me up and carried me to his bedroom.


	42. A New Danger Recognized

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I try to respond to every review, but there have been some guest reviews as well as those who have PMing turned off. I want to let you know that I read all the reviews and appreciate all of them. **_

Chapter 42: A New Danger Recognized

Kallie's POV:

I sat with Ranger and we talked for some time. Then as it was getting late, I headed to bed. I was sleeping one minute and the next I was with Julie in the gym. I noticed Rambo was with her and went to leave when I heard Alex thinking Julie would be worth a trip to the mats with Ranger. He turned to Rambo and told him he wouldn't mind fucking that. Suddenly Alex was up in the air with a very pissed off Rambo telling him if he didn't learn some respect he was going to have to teach him the hard way. Alex put his hands up in the air and said he didn't know it was like that and he was sorry. Rambo dropped him and walked over the treadmill next to Julie.

I followed Alex out of the gym and saw him look back to Julie with a wistful look but then he shrugged and went on his way. My eyes narrowed and I determined the next time I saw Alex I was going to let him know he couldn't talk about Julie that way. I continued floating down to the lobby and I smiled as I saw Binkie at the desk answering phones. I looked out the window and I saw someone who vaguely looked like Ranger but wasn't Ranger. He was standing there looking in. His head turned and our gazes locked. I froze. I moved to the side and his gaze followed me. Suddenly there was a white cloud between us and I was being pulled back. I felt arms around me and I felt safe. I drifted back up till once again I was in my own body.

Raven's POV:

I was in the shower when I felt the danger. I shut off the water and closed my eyes, searching for the source of the danger. Suddenly I saw him watching her. His eyes were following her movements. He saw her. I called the forces around her and sent up clouds to hide her from the danger. I sensed his confusion and rage because he knew she was his way in. He was here to complete the task he failed at before. I took her back and sent her back into herself where it was safe. I knew who he was and I knew what I must do to protect her.

I quickly finished my shower and dried then dressed. Once I was fully dressed I made my way up to the penthouse where I knew Kallie was sleeping. I exited the stairwell and knocked on the door. Ranger opened the door and I told him I needed to see Kallie so I could make sure she was safe. He told me she was fine and I locked my gaze with his. I told him, "I need to see her. She's in danger and I have to make sure he didn't see where she went."

Ranger's gaze held mine, "Who?"

"Scrog."

"Julie's stalker?"

I held his gaze, "His father."

Stephanie gasped, "Scrog is dead!"

I turned to her and nodded. "Yes. But he's here to help his son. He was outside the building."

Kallie came stumbling into the Fourier and I moved to take her into my arms. She was pale and I sensed her fear. I lifted her in my arms and I carried her back to her bedroom. I laid her on the bed and I could hear Ranger behind me growling as I ran my hands over her. I turned quickly to him and said, "I'm incapable of hurting her in any way while she is vulnerable. This is necessary to make sure she is safe."

Kallie reached out and whispered softly, "Raven."

Ranger's voice was gruff, "What's causing this?"

"Scrog."

Stephanie whispered, "He's dead. He died in my apartment."

Kallie spoke softly, "No. Body died. He's here. He's taken over his son."

I heard Ranger swear but my focused remained on Kallie, my only goal was to protect her from the danger that was getting ever closer.


	43. A Death At Rangeman

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I try to respond to every review, but there have been some guest reviews as well as those who have PMing turned off. I want to let you know that I read all the reviews and appreciate all of them. **_

Chapter 43: A Death At Rangeman

Raven's POV:

It took a while before I felt Kallie was safe once again. She was stronger than I had imagined she could be. I thought she would be safe once the linking ceremony was over. But she had the ability to go beyond even without my being with her. I needed to further protect her by limiting her boundaries when she wasn't with me. I spoke the words, but rather than cage her, I bound myself to her so when she reached the end of the space I'd given her, I would be pulled to her. I was going to protect her no matter what.

I lay beside her and joined her in the dream. When I found her I brought her safely back. Once she was in her own body I bound us so she couldn't leave her body unless I was there to protect her. I was watching her when she opened her eyes. She smiled at me and leaned forward placing her lips gently against my own. I lay there unmoving. She reached up her hand and caressed my cheek. I knew when she came aware of her surroundings. She sat up and turned away. I knew she still needed my arms to comfort her but she was trying to be strong.

I sat up beside her and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. "Are you alright?"

Kallie turned to me, tears running down her cheek, "I'm afraid for Julie. We have to catch him."

I ran a finger down her cheek, "We will. But we must make sure they are together when we take him out so neither of them can return."

She nodded. "It has to be in mom's old apartment. We have to make sure there is no one else around for him to attach to."

I nodded. "I'll look into getting the apartment set up so once he's inside he'll be trapped." I looked into her eyes, "You need to stay awake unless I'm in the building. You are stronger than I originally thought. I've bound us together so I am pulled to you. If I am elsewhere it might be too dangerous. If you feel tired, you must make sure I am at Rangeman. I'll talk to your dad and let him know we must stay close."

Kallie nodded. "Alright."

I kissed her cheek and told her I needed to get to work. She followed me out to where Ranger and Stephanie were still talking. Ranger drilled me with his gaze. Stephanie came over and wrapped her arms around Kallie. I spoke quietly to Ranger and told him as long as there was a threat that I needed to stay close to Kallie so I could protect her. He reluctantly agreed. He told me I'd be assigned as Kallie's bodyguard until everything was settled.

Kallie decided she was going to go down to the gym and so I went with her. I was surprised Alex was still in the gym since I knew he was here earlier when Julie and Rambo were here. I frowned at him as we walked in and noticed his eyes light up when he saw Kallie. They gleamed in a strange way. I glared at him but he wasn't paying attention. He stood as we neared him and made a flirtatious comment towards Kallie. She turned and nailed him with a glare.

Kallie took a step closer to him and said, "I heard what you said to Rambo about Julie. Know this Romeo…I'm not interested any more than Julie would be. If you want to continue to work here than set your sights on someone else and leave us both alone."

Alex looked stunned, and there was another emotion almost like disgust. Before he could answer her she continued, "I know what you're really after and it won't work. My dad won't hand Rangeman to you on a silver platter. There are too many guys ahead of you that would have control first. And if you are stupid enough to let Julie's stalker in so you can catch him in the act of trying to hurt her to impress dad, then he will wipe the floor with what's left of your ass after Rambo tears you apart."

My eyes narrowed and I pinned Alex to where he was standing. I added a warning of my own, "If you are stupid enough not to listen to Kallie, I'll be in line after Rambo and before Ranger. By the time I get done with you there won't be much left over for Ranger. Not only that but you won't be trusted now…or ever. If you were smart you would tell Ranger you would like to go back to Boston. Better yet, tell him you'd like to find a different job in Boston."

Alex glared at Kallie, "I'm not letting a little freak like you ruin all my plans. I've worked too hard to let all this go."

A voice from behind us spoke and Alex paled, "Unfortunately for you, the plans you've made will need to be changed. I've seen the footage from earlier and I've heard your plans. Pack your gear and get out. If you stay in Trenton, if you help Scrog's son in any way, there won't be a hole on the planet where you'll be safe from me."

Alex met Ranger's eyes and paled. Alex turned his gaze to Kallie and he paused for a moment before he drew a gun and fired. In the same second the gun fired I pulled Kallie into my embrace and turned away from the firing gun. A split second later there was the sound of another gun being fired and a body falling to the ground. Kallie turned back to look at Alex and gasped. She stiffened in my arms and looked to Ranger. "Do you know who he is?"

Ranger frowned, "Just what's in the file I have on him."

Kallie shook her head. "His father was there the day my father was killed. His father killed mine. He was the one that pulled the trigger."

Ranger came over and took Kallie in his arms, "Its alright Mijita. You are safe."

Kallie clung to Ranger, "No one knew of his existence. He blamed you all these years for killing his father and he came here to take over your business and kill us."

Ranger rocked Kallie and spoke gently to her in Spanish. I wondered how many other family ties would be unearthed before the end.

_Bet you weren't expecting that one. _


	44. The Trap

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I try to respond to every review, but there have been some guest reviews as well as those who have PMing turned off. I want to let you know that I read all the reviews and appreciate all of them. **_

Chapter 44: The Trap

Stephanie's POV:

I was worried about Kallie. I hoped Raven could keep her safe, and I hoped we were doing the right thing in trusting Julie to Rambo to take care of. Ranger had set everything up the way Kallie and Raven said it needed to be. I looked around my old apartment and didn't understand the need for all this, but I was willing to go along with most everything if it meant my girls would be safe. Ranger had arranged for all the residence of the building to go on a trip to Atlantic City. The building was going to be empty except for Ranger, myself, Julie, Kallie, Rambo and Raven. The rest of the Merry Men would be a distance away making sure no one came within a certain distance of the building.

I made my way over to the sofa and the girls and I sat down. We weren't sure how long we'd have to wait before Scrog's son came to us here, but we had made sure everyone saw us come here. I saw Kallie tense and she looked around. I bit my lip but I let her get up and move around. Julie took my hands in hers and clung. I turned and smiled to try and reassure her. I saw the fear mixed with determination that she would get through this.

I stiffened at the sound of the door creaking open and I knew Julie felt the tension as well. We looked over to Kallie and she stood there facing the doorway. Her eyes turned hard and I knew before I turned who would be standing there. It was like looking into my worst nightmare all over again.

The man stepping into the room with us was the spitting image of his father. He smiled at Julie and said, "My Princess. I've been waiting for you for years."

Julie lowered her eyes and replied, "You're sick if you think I want anything to do with you."

He smiled and it made my skin crawl. "You saved me. Now we can be together for always. Just as soon as I complete the ritual."

Kallie's chin lifted and she said, "You're too late. The ritual has already been performed."

He turned and his eyes gleamed with a green glow. "You lie!"

Kallie shook her head, "Julie has promised herself to another. They have already performed the ritual mating and it can't be broken."

I watched as the man before us seemed to shrink into himself. Then there was a laugh such as I've never heard before. A voice I thought never to hear again said, "Weak fool. To pin all your hopes on a weakling girl. Now she's led you to your downfall and I am in control."

Kallie stepped between Scrog and Julie and I. I saw his hand thrust out and Kallie looked as if she'd taken a blow, both physically and mentally. All of a sudden Raven was there and Kallie looked as if she were glowing. Scrog thrust his hand out again and this time he looked like he'd run into a brick wall. He turned to Raven and his eyes seemed to glow even brighter. He had an ugly look on his face and was about to strike out when Ranger and Rambo walked into the room. Scrog looked like he was choking on his rage as he stepped towards Ranger.

Ranger stood still, not even flinching. "The only thing you'll accomplish is getting your son killed."

"He's_ not_ my son! He's yours!"

Ranger shook his head, "I only have two children. Julie is my daughter by birth and Kallie is my daughter legally."

"You slept with my wife! That's why I needed to take over your life. I needed to be you so she wouldn't forget that I was the one who had her first and I was the one she could have lived a lifetime with."

Kallie stepped forward, "He killed your mother. He saw only what he wanted to see, not what was real. She didn't need to die. But he was in a rage and took it out on her. He never saw her with Ranger, he saw her making love to himself."

Scrog turned back to Kallie and lashed out. He flew back as if the strike had come back and hit him instead of her. Kallie smiled, "How does it feel to let the man who ruined your life take over your body? Have you no spine to fight him? Are you just going to let him have what he wants? You know he'll kill Julie don't you? It was his plan from the beginning. Take over Ranger's life and then destroy everything he loved."

I watched as the man I knew to be Scrog's son seemed to be fighting an inner battle. Suddenly he leaned over gasping, "Hurry. We must get to the forest to reach the light before he catches us."

Kallie looked over to Raven and he nodded. Suddenly Kallie went limp and Raven was there to catch her. He brought her over and laid her gently on the sofa. He stayed with her, protecting her while Ranger and Rambo faced a now furious Scrog who had once again taken control of his son's body. The three men danced around each other and Julie and I sat there clinging to each other. I took a relieved breath when I saw Kallie move slightly and her eyes blinked.

Kallie sat up and bent her head forward for a few minutes. After taking several calming breaths, she stood up and grasped Raven's hand. She looked into his eyes and said, "I've been to the forest and I have the key to end this forever."

Raven nodded and helped her up beside him. They moved together to stand before Scrog. Kallie started speaking in a language I didn't understand. Ranger, Rambo and Raven all seemed to understand what she was saying. Suddenly a blinding white light came down and lit up the room brighter than anything I'd ever seen before. Scrog started floating up towards the ceiling and then suddenly he rocketed to the ground and lay there lifeless. The light faded and then we were alone in the room. Raven went around the room chanting and spreading some type of dust. When he finished, Kallie turned to us and said it was safe now. As Julie and I went over to join the others, I noticed that Scrog was lying motionless.

I looked up at Ranger, "Is he dead?"

Ranger nodded, "Yes. Apparently he committed suicide to make sure his father could never come back."

I didn't understand it, but many things that happened over the past 11 years were beyond my understanding. All I knew was that my girls were safe once again. We headed down to the cars and made our way back to Rangeman. When Ranger parked in his usual space, he cut the engine and lifted my chin up to him. He lowered his mouth and we kissed with as much passion as we did that first time so long ago. When he moved back I smiled and said, "Hey Batman, how about coming up to my place?"

Ranger smiled and kissed me again, "Sounds perfect Babe."

We got out and headed for the elevator. As the door closed I caught a glimpse of the front seats of Rambo and Raven's vehicles. Seemed the children were having the same reaction as Ranger and I were. I smiled and wondered what tomorrow would bring.

_Okay, what do you think? _


	45. Revelations

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I try to respond to every review, but there have been some guest reviews as well as those who have PMing turned off. I want to let you know that I read all the reviews and appreciate all of them. **_

Chapter 45: Revelations

Julie's POV:

I can't believe its over. After all these weeks I'm free to get on with my life. I sat silently in the car as Rambo drove us back to Rangeman. When he pulled up in the garage and parked, I was overwhelmed with emotions I had been holding in check. I turned to Rambo and as if he knew what I was thinking his mouth swooped down on mine and he was kissing me passionately. I gave back as good as he gave and in no time the windows were pretty steamy. We pulled back, our breathing was labored. Rambo caressed my cheek and leaned in to kiss me gently on the lips before once again pulling back.

I reached up and wrapped my arms around him. I smiled, "What time do you get off tonight?"

Rambo kissed me again before pulling back and saying, "My shift is over at 7."

I leaned in and ran my tongue over his lips, "What do you say I fix us dinner and we have an early night?"

Rambo covered my mouth with his own and kissed me thoroughly before pulling back and saying, "Sounds good to me. What are you going to do until then?"

I kissed his mouth before replying, "Kallie and I will go over our plans to open our shop. She has a brilliant idea for a great little shop. She has the creativity and I have the business sense."

"Would you agree to letting me check out the sites before you make a final decision?"

I shrugged, "I'll run it by Kallie, but I guess we could show you the location before we make a final decision."

Rambo smiled and kissed me deeply before setting me in my seat and telling me he had to get back to work. I got out and headed for the elevator. Kallie and I reached it at the same time and took it up to the penthouse. Kallie grinned at me and said, "You really like him don't you?"

I grinned, "Yes." I gently punched her arm, "No peeking now."

Kallie looked at me and gave me a puzzled look, "I thought you knew."

I frowned, "Knew what?"

Kallie grinned, "I was only able to see if you were safe. Julie, when you're with Rambo he blocks me."

My eyes widened, "What?"

Kallie nodded, "It's true. Rambo can block me the same way dad does when he and mom are together."

I was stunned. After thinking about it for several minutes I nodded and then mentioned Rambo's request, "Rambo asked if we would show him the locations we found before making a final decision."

Kallie grinned, "Raven put in the same request."

I laughed, "I guess we not only have an overprotective set of parents but now we have two hot guys who are being overprotective as well."

Kallie looked at me for several minutes, "I think its fitting that they have a say in the final location."

I nodded, "Alright. So let's go see if mom has that list narrowed down."

Kallie sighed, "You know which spot I'm hoping for don't you?"

I winced, "The old Victorian?"

She nodded, "Yeah. I think it would be perfect for the shop and we could each have a wing on the second and third floors. It would take some remodeling, but when we got done it would be what we wanted. I could have my bit of the past and you could have your totally modern."

I nodded, "Keep selling it. Its starting to grow on me."

With that we started laughing and headed into the apartment to see if mom had been able to view any of the locations yet.

_There are a few more things that need to be completed before the end of the story. It feels like its getting close. I'm hoping to have the story wrapped up by chapter 50. Don't worry though, I need to finish HBD and then I have the idea for another story that I got while reading a review from knitter. I want to have the other stories finished first though. I'm going to retire Raven and Kallie after this story because I want to try an original story with them. Not sure if it gets published if that will mean I have to pull this story and TFTL, but I will use different names for them in the original story so hopefully that won't be a problem. Anyway, there are still a few more chapters before the end._


	46. Friends

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I try to respond to every review, but there have been some guest reviews as well as those who have PMing turned off. I want to let you know that I read all the reviews and appreciate all of them. **_

Chapter 46: Friends

Kallie's POV:

Julie and I were about to head into the apartment when I put my hand on hers to stop her from opening the door. Julie looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I shook my head and grinned, "I don't think they want to be disturbed quite yet. Why don't we head downstairs and see what's up?"

Julie grinned, "Nice to know the passion is still there. Gives us hope for when we get that age."

We both laughed as we made our way down to the 5th floor. When we walked out onto the floor there were several sets of eyes on us. I got the feeling we were interrupting something. When Tank's door opened and Raven and Rambo came out of his office I was puzzled. Neither of them was giving anything away.

Tank followed them out and came towards us with a smile. "What brings you two down here?"

I grinned, "Mom and Dad are otherwise occupied and we figured the least we could do is give them privacy."

Several moans sounded and Tank barked at the men to get to work. Then he gave me a half smile and told me that might have been TMI for the guys since half of them were still half in love with Bomber, as Tank and the guys referred to mom. Tank glanced from us to Rambo and Raven and then back to us. He shook his head and said for the guys to take the rest of the day off but he expected to see them bright and early the next day. We headed down to 4. Julie and Rambo headed to his apartment and I went to Raven's apartment with him.

I sat down on the sofa and Raven joined me. It was a unique experience not to be able to instantly know what someone was feeling or thinking. I felt as if I was only truly alive when I was with Raven. I'd felt this way since our first meeting. I also knew that when he linked us he protected me from all possible harm, including himself. There was so much I wanted to tell him but I wasn't sure how to go about it. This type of emotion was new to me.

Raven smiled gently as if to put me at ease. I took a deep breath and then just jumped in the deep end. I looked into his face and said, "I've felt things since I've met you that I've never felt before. Before you say anything, these feelings started before the linking ceremony. I was drawn to you the first time I saw you. Like my soul recognized yours."

Raven cupped my face in his hands, "I'm not one for relationships Kallie. We can be friends, but that's it. I have only one use for females and I won't use you like that. I think I could be a good friend to you though."

I sat there for several minutes not knowing what to say. Finally I nodded, "If friendship is all you can offer then I'll accept it." I smiled and stood, "I really have to get going. I have a couple things to do before Julie and I talk to mom about the locations we were interested in."

Raven stood and reached out as if to stop me but I pretended I didn't see his hand and rushed out of the apartment. I made my way down to the Lobby and smiled at Brett as I walked out the front door onto the sidewalk. I walked for some time before I became aware of my surrounds. I leaned against the building behind me and closed my eyes. I wasn't going to cry over what I could never have. I was going to be strong and accept what I could get and move on with my life. I knew there was someone out there for me. One day I would find him.

Raven's POV:

I hated the look on her face when I told her all we could ever be was friends. I had to do this. I couldn't allow the link between us to tie her to me before she was able to experience life. She was young and would recover quickly. I would always watch over her and be her friend. Maybe one day we could even be so much more. I just hoped I hadn't lost my chance with her forever by letting her experience life.

_Yup! Silly man, making Ranger's mistakes all over again. _


	47. Unknown Blow

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I try to respond to every review, but there have been some guest reviews as well as those who have PMing turned off. I want to let you know that I read all the reviews and appreciate all of them. **_

Chapter 47: Unknown Blow

Kallie's POV:

The next few months seemed to fly by. Julie and I went around to all the locations and one look at the three-story Victorian and Julie was hooked. Dad set us up with an architect and we revamped the whole inside of the house. The entire 1st floor was divided into the sections of our shop. We would be selling fresh herbs, lotions, soaps, and candles in one section. Another section was set up to display intricate knick knacks in a variety of mediums. Then there was the book section which would include antique originals from the great masters such as Mark Twain, D. H. Lawrence, Jane Austen, and Charlotte Bronte to name a few. On the shelves next to these were authors currently on the best sellers list. The final section of the shop was where the customers could go and sit down, relax and have a cup of gourmet coffee.

Once the shop had been planned out and Julie and I were happy, we took a look at the top two floors that would be transformed into our individual living space. Julie wanted to gut the two floors on her side and have a loft bedroom with a winding staircase down the floor below. The space below the bedroom was made into a luxury bathroom with sunken tub and Jacuzzi combination and separate shower stall. The rest of the floor would be open with an area to sit and watch TV, a kitchen area and an eating area. The décor was ultra-modern and fit Julie's personality to a T. She had greens, browns, beiges, with a touch of black running through.

On the other side, my half of the house was quite different. The third floor was set up as a studio complete with easel and all my art supplies. There was natural lighting from the numerous windows. It was an artist's dream studio and I was looking forward to working there. The lower floor of my living space was more in keeping with the Victorian age of the house. There was a master bedroom with an in suit bathroom, a smaller guest room with a small bathroom, a den/living space, and an eat in kitchen/dining room. The color scheme on my side had more blues, purples, rose with a touch of white running through.

The process of buying the house, remodeling and getting everything set up for our grand opening took a good 8 months. Dad insisted on the house and shop being secured by Rangeman and Julie and I both agreed to this. During this time Julie and Rambo grew closer together. I could sense an announcement coming soon and I was happy for her. I did the best I could to put on a happy face whenever Raven and I were together and I avoided him the best I could. I found I was able to block him from what I was feeling. I could tell he didn't like it but there was no way I wanted him to know how much it hurt that he couldn't love me…or more accurately that he wouldn't allow himself to love me. Tonight we were unveiling the shop to our family; or more accurately mom, dad, and the guys at Rangeman.

I had just finished dressing when Julie knocked on my door. I opened the door to see her dressed in black dress slacks and a white silk blouse. Her hair was twisted elegantly on top her head and she had dangly earrings on. I was wearing blue jeans, a rose colored t-shirt, sneakers, and my hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Julie gave me a puzzled look, "Why aren't you dressing up?"

I shrugged, "No one to dress up for."

She looked at me for a moment and then reached out and hugged me. "I'm sorry sis."

I allowed the hug for a few seconds and then pulled back. I smiled and motioned to the door, "Shall we?"

We headed downstairs to the shop where the others would be joining us anytime. We were mingling a short time later when I felt the tingling that let me know Raven had joined the party. Julie squealed and ran into Rambo's arms. My eyes went to Raven and I saw he was looking at me. I turned to Lester who was close by and smiled at something he said, even though I had no clue what it was. I did my best to say all the right things, laugh at the right moments, but my heart wasn't in it. I was surprised when mom came into the kitchen where I was stocking another tray of snacks. She wrapped her arms around me and asked if I was going to be okay. I smiled and told her I was fine. She gave me a look like I wasn't fooling her but she let it drop.

Later as we were saying good-bye to all our guests, Raven stepped up and took my hand. He thanked me for inviting him and asked how I'd been. I told him I was doing great. He held my hand a little longer than necessary and I turned away and told him thanks for coming. I could sense he wanted to say something else but he just walked out the door. I felt the tears burn the backs of my eyes and I had to get away before I started bawling for everyone to see. I was turning around when I was hit with a wall of emotions. They were so intense and I had no idea where they were coming from. I felt myself falling but was unable to save myself. I was unaware of Raven faltering as if he'd been dealt a lethal blow, then turning and seeing me falling he raced back to catch me before I fell.


	48. VOWS

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I try to respond to every review, but there have been some guest reviews as well as those who have PMing turned off. I want to let you know that I read all the reviews and appreciate all of them. **_

Chapter 48: VOWS

Raven's POV:

I was walking away from the house and my heart was feeling heavier with each step. Suddenly I felt her falling and I turned and raced back. Ranger was there to catch her and he lifted her and carried her to a settee in the shop. She looked so lost and vulnerable laying there and I was getting nothing from her. She was shutting me out. I couldn't understand how that was possible. I went to step forward but Ranger stood and motioned me out to the other room. I went with him even though I desperately needed to be with Kallie. I had to make sure she was okay.

I looked at Ranger, wondering what could be so important. He turned to me and asked, "What are you playing at Raven?"

"What do you mean?"

"Eight months ago you vowed to protect Kallie, even if it was from yourself. I thought she meant something to you."

"She does. We're friends."

Ranger looked towards where Kallie lay and he shook his head, "She looks at you as more than a friend. Kallie looks at you the way Stephanie always looked at me when I was too stupid to realize she loved me with everything in her."

I shook my head, "I don't like women except to use to scratch an itch. I won't do that to Kallie."

Ranger looked at me like he pitied me. "You could never use Kallie like that. In case you don't realize it that mass sitting on your chest is your love for her. The forever kind of love. Don't stick your head in your ass and deny you both the happiness you can have."

I went to say something and he held his hand up, "What would you do if someone took her away from you for good. What I mean by that is what would you do if someone killed her and she was no longer in your life?"

Just the thought sent me to my knees. Ranger nodded, "I thought so. I was an ass not to realize how much Stephanie loved me, and I loved her just as much. But she was willing to do the friends thing because she thought it was the only way she could be in my life. I'll be forever grateful for the day she decided she had to try for what her heart really wanted. If you love Kallie, then tell her before its too late."

I nodded. Ranger turned and headed back to Kallie. I was just about to go and join them when I saw Stephanie headed my way. She looked furious. She slammed her hand onto my chest and demanded, "Who gave you the right to play God with my daughter's life?"

"I don't know…."

"Don't give me that bullshit! Kallie has been working herself to death for the past 8 months because she has nothing else! She's 18 years old and she thinks she has no future because the bastard she's in love with thinks he gets to call all the shots! Fine! You don't want Kallie in your life then walk out the door and don't ever come back. Let her have a chance of getting over you without you constantly being within touching distance. I'm not going to sit around and watch her be miserable for three years till she gets up the nerve to tell you what she wants."

I put both hands up in the air and told her, "I'm not fighting anymore. I need to go to her now."

Stephanie nodded, "About damn time."

She turned and stormed back into the shop. I followed more slowly. I made my way to where Kallie was lying and knelt down beside her. I placed my hand on her cheek and closed my eyes so I could see what had happened to her. I was blocked at every path. I tilted my head and my grandfather Grey Hawk was there. I turned to him confused, "Why won't she let me in?"

"Because then you would see how her soul bleeds for you. She loves you with all she is. The same way you love her. You need to speak to her grandson, but not with your mind. You must open your heart to save her."

I leaned my head against her and let my heart speak for the first time in my life. "Don't leave me Kallie. I love you with all I am. Don't leave me here all alone."

I felt her reach out to me and I took her hand in mine. I pulled her close and looked into her beautiful face, "I love you Daniel Raven. It hurts me to be apart from you. But if that is what you need, I will bear the pain."

I shook my head. "I love you Kallie Manoso. I can't stand to see you in pain. I want to claim you as mine so we can both have happiness…and love."

She glowed with such a wonderful light. I was awed by her beauty. We embraced and our mouths fused in a passion I had never experienced before. For the first time in my life, I felt whole, complete. I heard Grey Hawk speaking, "The darkness has been defeated. You have saved each other. The linking ceremony can be completed and neither of you shall ever be unhappy again. For your souls have mated in this timeline and you will now be together through all time."

I felt her mouth under mine and then the sound of a throat being cleared reminded me we weren't alone. I sat back and looked up to see Ranger looking at me with narrowed eyes. Stephanie was beside him with a glare on her face. I looked down and saw Kallie's eyes were open. I smiled at her and said, "I don't know about you but I feel as if we've just been married."

Kallie smiled, "It did sorta seem like wedding vows that Grey Hawk spoke."

Ranger raised an eyebrow, "Grey Hawk?"

Kallie nodded, "Raven's paternal grandfather. He was a Shaman."

I looked at Kallie, "What do you think? Should we make it real?"

She gave me a searching look, "Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Very sure. I want everything with you."

She smiled and threw her arms around me. I looked up at Ranger, "With your permission of course."

Ranger and Stephanie looked at each other and their love was such a beautiful sight. They both nodded. Ranger said, "You have our blessing."

_Whew! Guess everyone is back on track now. Kallie reacted to the darkness from blocking Raven. Raven felt her blocking him and that's why he reacted. Hopefully that came across._


	49. Julie's Big Day

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I try to respond to every review, but there have been some guest reviews as well as those who have PMing turned off. I want to let you know that I read all the reviews and appreciate all of them. **_

Chapter 49: Julie's Big Day

Julie's POV:

I couldn't believe I was standing here today beside Ranger, waiting to walk down the aisle to marry Rambo. I'd debated long and hard as to whether or not I should ask Ranger or Ron to give me away. I knew in my heart that I wanted Ranger beside me today but I didn't want to hurt Ron either. I had grown very close to Ranger and Stephanie in the past two years since Kallie and I had moved back to Trenton. I liked having my real dad in my life. When Rambo and I had gone to Miami to tell mom and Ron about our engagement, Ron had found me walking on the beach one morning and had asked me if I wanted to have Ranger give me away. I admitted I had thought of the idea. Ron had turned me to face him and let me know he wouldn't be hurt if I asked Ranger to give me away instead of him. We talked about the fact that Ranger had stepped aside so I could have a happy family life and not be torn by who I should like more. He told me it was his turn to step back and let me enjoy the bond I had formed with Ranger.

I was thrilled. I asked Ron if he would consider walking down the aisle on my other side and both of them give me away. He had tears in his eyes when he agreed that he would be honored if that was my wish. So today, I would have both my fathers walking beside me. I watched as the bridesmaids walked down to the alter and then Kallie moved forward to take her place as my Maid of Honor. The wedding march came to a crescendo and I moved forward with my real father and the father who had raised me. I felt the tears burn the back of my eyes, not because I was sad, but because I was filled with such joy that today Rambo and I would join our lives for life.

I caught a glimpse at Stephanie as we reached the front. She was sitting beside mom and there were tears streaking down her cheeks. Our eyes met and we rolled our eyes at each other. I turned back to where Rambo stood and I smiled. The minister began and before I knew it I was Mrs. Trevor Ranson. When he took me in his arms and kissed me, all other thoughts left me. The reception was a chance to celebrate with friends and family and before I knew it, Trev and I were changed and standing on the balcony of the reception hall. I turned and closed my eyes, then let the bridal bouquet fly from my hands. I turned quickly to see who would catch it and was just in time to see Kallie thrust her hand up to keep the flowers from hitting her in the face. When she saw the bouquet in her hand she turned to me and rolled her eyes. I smiled and couldn't help the light-hearted laughter that escaped. Next, Trev took the garter and flung it. Raven was standing with his back to us, his gaze was on Kallie. At the last second he lifted his hand and snared the garter. I watched as he lifted his eyebrow and Kallie nodded. I smiled knowing when we got back there would be another announcement.

The past 16 months, since Raven had stopped fighting his feeling for Kallie they had gotten incredibly close. When we told them we were getting married I thought there might be a double ceremony but Kallie said I should have this time to myself. She wasn't sure Raven was ready for that step yet. I noticed that the two of them spent a lot of time together though. After seeing them today, seems Raven was ready after all.

Trev told me we were going to be away for a month and Stephanie had already agreed to help Kallie in the shop. We said our final goodbyes and Trev lifted me in his arms and carried me out to his car. Once I was settled, Trev got in the driver's seat and we rocketed off towards the future.

_Okay, one more chapter to go._


	50. A New Generation Begins

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination.**_ Kallie and Raven are my own creation and I take credit for creating them._

_Spoilers: Possibly any book from 1-18._

_**I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I try to respond to every review, but there have been some guest reviews as well as those who have PMing turned off. I want to let you know that I read all the reviews and appreciate all of them. **_

Chapter 50: A New Generation Begins

Stephanie's POV:

It seems that once Julie married, things progressed with lightning speed. Thirteen months later I was watching my baby walk down the aisle on Ranger's arm as Julie and Rambo stood up with them. Although Kallie and Raven's wedding was smaller than Julie's, it was every bit as special. I once again helped out at the shop, this time while Kallie and Raven went on honeymoon. I enjoyed the work so much that the girls asked me to be a partner in the business. They claimed this would free them up to spend time with their husbands and children when they came, plus they could stop worrying so much about me chasing after skips. I had to admit, I liked the job a hell of a lot better than Bounty Hunting. I'd talked things over with Ranger and he was fine with whatever I decided. So I smiled and accepted the girls offer.

Julie and Rambo….uh Trevor, which I will never learn to call him, were gone a month which they spent in the Caribbean. Kallie and Raven were gone for a month as well which they spent in Italy. The three of us worked out a schedule that allowed each of us a day off to spend with our spouse. Ranger obliged by having their days off coincide so each of us got to spend the day with our spouse. There had been many changes in the 5 years since Julie and Kallie came to live in Trenton. Julie had been married for three years now and Kallie had been married for 2 years. I had quit Bounty Hunting and become partners with the girls. The biggest change of all was about to happen.

Ranger and I were enjoying an early night when the phone rang. Ranger had no more than disconnected the call when my phone rang. When I tossed my phone in my purse, Ranger and I looked at each other and started laughing. What timing! We headed down to the garage and got into the Turbo. Although there had been many newer model Porsches that had come out, the Turbo was still my favorite. Ranger drove us to St. Francis Medical Center and of course just as we were pulling in, a car was backing out of the spot right by the door. I rolled my eyes as Ranger laughed. We got out and headed into the emergency room. We by-passed the desk and headed for the elevator. When we got off the elevator I was surprised to see so many people in the waiting room.

I went over to the woman sitting behind the desk and said, "Hello. I'm Stephanie Manoso and our daughters are here."

The woman's eyes widened, "Daughters?"

I smiled, "Yes. Julie Ranson and Kallie Raven."

The woman smiled, "I didn't realize they were sisters. Yes, both girls are here with their husbands. They've just been taken to their rooms and should be settled any minute. Then you'll be able to go in and see them."

I went back to Ranger, "They are both getting settled, then we'll get to go in and see them."

Ranger sat in the only seat available and pulled me down on his lap. He had his phone out and put in a call to Tank. He told Tank he wanted two guys here to guard the babies when they got here. I rummaged in my purse but couldn't find my phone. Ranger handed me his and I quickly called my parents and told them the girls were both in labor. I handed the phone back to Ranger and he placed a call to Rachel to let her know Julie was going to have her baby. We'd been there about 20 minutes when a nurse came into the room and called for the family of the Ranson's. Ranger and I walked over and she told us we could go in and see our daughter. She then called for the family of the Raven's and when Ranger and I remained there she gave us a funny look and asked if that was us too. Ranger nodded and told her our daughters were both growing our family tonight. She chuckled and told us what room Kallie was in.

The girls were in adjoining rooms. I went in to see Julie first and Ranger went in to Kallie. After about half an hour we switched rooms. By then it was time for the doctors to come in as both girls were advancing quickly. Seems both of them had been in labor awhile but didn't want to ruin a romantic night so they'd stayed quiet. Ranger and I had decided that he would be with Julie and I would be with Kallie during the birth of the babies. I held Kallie's hand as she pushed Derek Carlos out into the world. Tears were pouring down my cheeks as I watched the nurse clean him up and wrap him in a blanket. She handed him to Kallie who only had a moment to hold him before she started having pains once again. Seeing her in pain I yelled at the doctor to do something. Raven handed me Derek and took Kallie's hands in his as he helped her to bring Cassandra Michelle into the world. I smiled at Kallie as the tears streamed down my face and told her how proud I was of her.

The nurses took the twins and got them all washed up and dressed in a sleeper before bringing them back. Raven held his daughter who was dressed in a Wonder Woman sleeper, and I held Derek who was dressed in a Batman sleeper, while another nurse got Kallie cleaned up and changed. There was a knock at the door and at Raven's "Enter." the door opened and Hal stepped in.

Hal nodded to Raven, "I'm outside the door."

Raven nodded to Hal, "Thanks."

I kissed both babies and then told Raven and Kallie I was going to see if my parents were here yet. I walked out into the waiting room and not only were my mom and dad there, but so was grandma Mazur and a good portion of Merry Men. I smiled and told them about the twins. About the time I finished, Ranger walked into the room and grinned. He told us about Julie and her twins. Her daughter Veronica Rachel and her son Stephan Ricardo. My eyes widened and I told Ranger about Kallie having twins as well only Derek was born first and Cassie was second.

Ranger hugged me to him and then I went in to congratulate Julie and Ram….uh, Trevor and Ranger went to congratulate Kallie and Raven. I noticed Junior was standing outside Julie's door and I gave him a finger wave as I went in to see the other two babies. I asked Julie if she knew she was going to have twins. She said they knew but didn't want to tell anyone. They wanted it to be a surprise. I asked if she knew Kallie was having twins and her eyes widened with shock. I grinned and nodded, telling her the order of birth was opposite from what she'd had. We laughed and shared hugs and tears of happiness.

When it was time to leave so the girls and babies could rest, Ranger wrapped his arm around my waist and we made our way out to the Turbo. I smiled up at him and said, "We did good Batman."

Ranger leaned down and kissed me before saying, "That we did Babe."

We got in the Turbo and headed off into the night.

AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER!

THE END

_Well, that's the end. Hope you all enjoyed the ride. Thank you for coming along once again. Until the next time…_


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